Self Made Man
by Hecateslover
Summary: You know those stories where Harry finds out he's filthy rich at Sirius' will reading? Well...what if he finds out he's broke, instead? Oh, the ramifications. HPLL. BDSM, D/s, and all that. M for a reason.


**Okay, so I'm doing a complete revamp of this story. While I absolutely love the premise, I feel as though a lot of the plot was drowned out by...other stuff. And I thank you, my faithful reviewers, for pointing some things out to me. There are lots of changes, so you might as well read it again, right? :3  
**

**x-x-x**

You know those stories where Harry finds out he's filthy rich at Sirius' will reading? Well, what happens if it turns out he's broke, instead?

x-x-x

Harry stared at the ledger before him in disbelief. "How on earth did I end up with only 27 Galleons in my vault?" He asked quietly.

It was late at night. He'd been sent an urgent letter from Gringott's as soon as he returned to the Dursleys. He'd never gotten a letter from them before, but considering it had mentioned Sirius' will, and that there was a problem with his accounts, he had to go.

Griphook didn't look impressed with him for some reason. "A combination of your Hogwarts tuition and overspending." He tapped a clawed finger to the page.

"You withdrew quite a bit of money since you've returned to the wizarding world. The reason why we notified you was that you were in danger of overdrawing, once your Tuition bill came up this summer."

"But…but I never received any bill for my tuition! I just thought that my parents had paid for it all!"

"They did. With the money in your trust vault. That was what it was for. And for your books and pertinent supplies. The rest of the Potter money was used to fund the first war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Their remaining possessions and assets were sold at their death, to cover their expenses."

Harry remembered using that money for candy, omnioculars, things from Hogsmeade-

"Shit." He muttered.

Griphook leant back in his chair. "I also have been notified that Sirius Black left you in his will. Unfortunately, with his name uncleared, and with him being disinherited by his Mother before her death, he had little money to his name. Most of which was spent in nearly all of it's entirety in 1993-"

Harry groaned, thinking of his Firebolt. Why had his Godfather done that? He loved that broom, but now…

Griphook continued to speak. "So he is leaving you with 18 Galleons, a trunk full of personal possessions, an enchanted motorcycle (which is in care of Rubeus Hagrid at the moment), and an unnamed House, of which you know its address."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He hated Grimmauld Place, but at least it was a place to stay until he graduated from Hogwarts…his thoughts stopped there.

"Um…so, since I don't have the money for tuition this year, can I still go to Hogwarts?"

"No, Mr. Potter." Griphook said, looking at Harry like the boy was very dumb.

"Er…there's scholarships, right?"

"Yes, but there are very few of them. There aren't' any others available."

Harry cursed under his breath. "So…what are my options?"

Griphook sighed, and took out several forms. "If you were of age, you take out a loan, but unfortunately, you are not. Your guardians, however, can do that for you. Interest will be 120%-"

"I'll pass." Harry said quickly.

Griphook continued to speak, putting the papers away smoothly. "There is another option, one that many other wizards in your circumstance do when they have little money."

"Yes? And that is?"

"Get a job."

Harry stared at the little Goblin. A job? He frowned, looking down at his knees. Well, that would certainly help him get some money together. Maybe if he worked this year, he'd get enough to go back to Hogwarts next year… his mind was racing, trying to figure out what his options were.

"Could you please take me to see Sirius' vault?"

The Goblin nodded, and Harry followed him out of the cramped office, through the lobby, and to the carts. He got into one of them, and he was taken down to Sirius' vault. Indeed, there was just a few gold coins in the small vault, along with a beat-up looking trunk. He took the trunk, and the coins, and closed the vault.

He went back to the Leaky Cauldron that night, where his things were waiting in his room. He now knew that he couldn't afford to stay there the entire summer, like he'd been planning. After dragging Sirius' trunk into his room, next to his own trunk, he opened it.

There were a stack of old girly magazines there, which made him chuckle a bit, and he set those aside. He found some of Sirius' old textbooks, notes, and doodles. He was surprised to find a beaten looking Auror's manual among the books- he opened it, and found that it had been his Father's.

He found lots of pictures of the Mauraders, as well as his Mother. It looked as though Sirius hadn't been in that trunk since before he went to Azkaban. All the pictures of the Mauraders at Grimmauld Place had Peter Pettigrew scratched out- these had been left as is.

He sat on his bed, thinking about his options.

He had a trunk full of old textbooks and girly magazines, his own trunk, and had 45 Galleons to his name.

He could go back to the Dursleys. They wouldn't be very happy, considering he left in the middle of the night, just a few hours after he'd gotten there.

He could stay at Grimmauld Place. He hated it, but where else could he go?

And what about Hogwarts? Yeah, the Headmaster might let him back in…but it wouldn't be fair to everyone else if he didn't have to pay tuition. He sighed roughly, resigning himself to find a job. Where could he possibly work?

He hadn't even gotten his OWL scores yet. What was he good at, besides Defense?

Well…cleaning and cooking. The Dursleys had made sure of that. He snickered, thinking to himself that he would make a good house elf. He got up from the bed, and wrote a letter.

_Dear Moony,_

_If you are wondering where I am, I'm at the Leaky Cauldron. I had some urgent business at the bank. If you get this, you can find me in Room 9 tonight. _

_Cub_

Hopefully that was quick and short to the point enough that if anyone got a hold of the letter, they couldn't figure out who was who. Hopefully.

Later that night, he was woken to a brisk knock at his door. He'd barely slept a wink, what with nightmares of being homeless, with Voldemort on his tail. He pulled on his t-shirt and boxers, and opened the door, running a hand through his hair. Remus stood there, with Moody, looking extremely worried.

"Harry!" He hissed.

Harry looked at them warily. "What's my patronus?"

"A stag."

"And where did I tell you never to keep your wand, and why?" Moody growled out.

"My pocket, and because I could blow my buttocks off." Harry said with a grin, letting the two men in. He pulled on his jeans, and Remus stared at the trunk on the floor, beside Harry's.

"That's…Sirius' trunk." He said softly, eyes wide.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I inherited it. Along with Grimmauld Place. And 17 Galleons. He blew all of his money on my firebolt." He said, rolling his eyes.

Remus sighed, shaking his head.

"We need to leave as soon as possible- I don't know why you thought the Leaky Cauldron was a secure place-" Moody said.

Harry watched Remus and Moody pack his things, and shrink down his trunks, along with Hedwig's cage.

"It was short notice, and late at night. I had to go, it was urgent!" Harry said, pulling on his shoes. "I'm broke!"

Remus looked aghast. "You have your trust vault…how is that possible?"

"My tuition at Hogwarts every year. I…I thought I'd have more than that, so I spent more than I ought to…I had no idea my tuition came out of that vault."

Harry ended up in his bed in Grimmauld place near dawn, feeling exhausted. The others had been woken by Mrs. Black's screeching portrait. He barely noticed Remus' hushed conversation with Mrs. Weasley as he went up the stairs. He set his things down in his room, and crawled into his bed.

The next day, the house was silent as Harry went down the stairs. He didn't sleep much again, because of more nightmares- if he kept this up, he was going to feel like a zombie pretty soon. He pulled on his Weasley sweater from last year, and his jeans. He met his friends at the foot of the stairs.

Hermione looked like she'd been crying.

"Harry…it isn't true, is it?"

Harry sighed.

"Mate, what do you reckon is going to happen?" Ron asked as the three of them headed to the kitchen.

"I need to get a job, Ron."

"But…it's not safe!" Hermione exclaimed. "Voldemort could just show up at whatever shop you're working at, and-"

"I get it, Hermione." Harry cut in, opening the door. Moody, Remus, and Tonks were there, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"You could work for the twins." Ginny said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Harry blinked at the red headed girl. That was actually a pretty good idea…after all, he had lent them money….he could ask them for the money back, but it wouldn't be a very nice thing to do. But how safe would it be?

Moody went to the floo, and Mrs. Weasley set some food out for the friends. Harry began to eat hesitantly, not feeling very hungry, despite his last meal was the Leaving Feast yesterday morning.

He turned to Hermione. "Hermione, why aren't you at your parent's place?"

Hermione frowned. "They had a business trip. They'll be back in a week. I'll be back and forth anyways." She crossed her arms. "Harry, what are you going to do?"

"That's what I would like to know." Dumbledore said, as he came through the floo, McGonagall and Snape on his heels.

"Sir." He stood.

"Harry, I think we need to talk, privately."

Harry followed the Headmaster to the study, feeling nervous.

"Lemon drop?" Harry shook his head.

Dumbledore laced his fingers together, waiting for Harry to tell his story.

"I'm broke. I have 28 Galleons in my trust vault, and 17 Galleons from Sirius. I inherited this house, so I have a place to stay, but I haven't much else than that. Most of my money went to tuition…sir, I can't go to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Well…it's not the first time in Hogwarts history that we've had a student leave for lack of money." He said quietly. "Unfortunately, there are no more scholarships available, and I've had to turn down several students this year because of it. I could not let you stay at the school, as it wouldn't be fair to the others."

"I understand." Harry said quietly.

Dumbledore went through his pockets. "The truth is, there aren't very many safe places for you right now. It would be hard for you to work in a public place, considering this."

"So, what can I do?"

"I've been working this morning to get you some paperwork. Officially, you will be trained at 'home', like the other students in your circumstances. Doing this, you'll be able to practice magic outside of the school."

Harry couldn't help but grin at this.

"You'll be expected to take exams once a semester, so that the Ministry will know you are learning all you need to know."

"So, I can still take my NEWTS next year?"

Dumbledore nodded, a smile spreading on his face. "I've spoken with the others about your options. Remus and Molly are more than happy to assist you in your education, and some of the other Order members may help from time to time."

Harry grinned outright. This didn't seem bad at all. His smile faded. "What about money, sir?"

Dumbledore twinkled. "You are a resourceful young man when you need to be. I'm sure you'll think of something."

They went into the kitchen once more, where Snape was glowering at everyone, and McGonagall was sipping tea.

Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder, and Ron spoke up.

"Are you coming back to the school?" He asked hopefully.

Harry shook his head, glancing at the Headmaster. "No. I'll be here, at Grimmauld Place. It wouldn't be fair to the other students who couldn't go to Hogwarts because of money, or those on scholarship. It'll be fine."

"But…you aren't coming, then?" Ginny asked sadly.

"Whose gonna Head the DA?" Ron asked.

Harry blinked. "You and Hermione, Ron." He said that as if he was obvious.

Hermione turned to the Headmaster. "Isn't there some way that Harry could stay at the school-"

"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter is staying here at HQ." Dumbledore said with a tone of finality. He turned to the others.

"Mr. Potter has been approved for home-schooling, and will begin on September first. I'd like for you to make up a schedule, and let me know when you will be able to be here to teach Mr. Potter-"

"Surely you're not expecting me to-" Snape started with a sneer.

"Those who are interested can volunteer their time." Dumbledore said softly, not directing this at anyone.

Harry was a bit relieved. Snape wasn't teaching him this year, it looked like.

* * *

Harry gave his old school books to Mrs. Weasley. She was going to sell them at the second-hand shop, those they weren't giving to Ginny, and use the money to get Harry some clothes and supplies for the year.

Harry found out that Kreacher had killed himself after Sirius had died- the strange little elf's head was on the wall, along with his ancestors. Harry decided that those needed to be moved elsewhere- maybe the attic, along with Mrs. Black's portrait.

That evening, Dumbledore came to HQ with Luna Lovegood on his arm. All of the students greeted her warmly, wondering why she was at HQ.

"Her father expressed that he wished to keep her safe. Unfortunately, he has to go underground because of certain statements in the Quibbler. Miss Lovegood will be staying here at HQ for indefinite amount of time."

She was looking placidly at everyone, holding a carpet bag in her hands. The Order members were looking at the girl dubiously. She had her wand stuck behind her ear, as always, wore a worn-looking grey knit sweater over a pink shirt-dress. She had scuffed up mary-janes on, and wore her butterbeer cap necklace.

"Hullo."

"Dotty, that one." One member order whispered to the other. "Just like that Father of hers."

Harry glared at the man, and got up from his seat. "Hi Luna. Want me to take your bag?"

She blinked at him. "Why would you take my bag?" She handed it over, though.

"I can take you up to your room." He led her out of the kitchen, ignoring the curious Order members. She wandered after him, up the stairs.

"The Headmaster told me that some students were going to be here…I'm so glad it's you and the others!" She said brightly, looking around at the peeling wallpaper and shrunken elf heads.

"What a delightfully dreadful place." She said, following him up to the third floor. Harry gave her an odd look, and stopped in front of a door.

"Mrs. Weasley was getting this room ready earlier, I guess she knew you were coming." He opened it, and noticed the small attempts the woman made to make the room look 'homey'. There were clean sheets and blankets on the bed, and there was a vase of flowers on the rickety desk.

Luna went into the room, and set her bag on the bed. She looked around. "It's so dark."

Harry shrugged. "The whole place is. The loo is at the end of the hallway, next to my room. Hermione and Ginny are in the room next door, and I'm at the other side. Ron is downstairs, on the second floor, with his parents and the other spare rooms. We've got a pretty big library, with loads of books- some of them are a bit dark, though…"

He trailed off as he watched her take out some of her clothes, a blanket, art supplies, and a few books. He glanced away quickly as her knickers joined the pile.

"Uh, well, I'll leave you to your packing, then. Um, meals are at 8am, noon, and 7pm. Sometimes we have tea at 3pm, but…um…yeah, so I'll just go now." He stammered as she dropped her dressing robe on to the pile.

He left the room rather quickly after that. He'd seen Hermoine and Ginny in their pajamas and things before, over the years, but he considered them to be sisters, of a sort. With Luna, for some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed.

He went back downstairs, and saw the Headmaster talking quietly to Mrs. Weasley. They both glanced up as he came into the room, and the Headmaster twinkled at Harry.

"Is Miss Lovegood settling into her room?"

Harry nodded. "She's unpacking." He paused. "Do you think we could do something about her room? It's really dark. I know at Hogwarts she liked to outside in the sun a lot…"

Mrs. Weasley gave him an amused smile for some reason, and nodded. "Of course dear. Since you'll be here this year, I thought we could decorate this place a bit more- even with the cleaning, it's a bit dreadful looking."

Harry chuckled. "Luna called it 'delightfully dreadful'." He noticed Hermione and Ginny looking at him oddly. "What?"

"You're smiling. I haven't seen you smile like that in a while." Hermione said.

Harry blinked in surprise.

Ginny walked into Luna's bedroom, watching the girl clean the window, so that it would let more light in, in the morning. Her books were stacked neatly on the desk, as were her art supplies. She had put her pink blanket on the bed, and had pinned a couple of drawings to the wall. "Hi Luna. All unpacked?"

Luna gave her a wan smile, closing the window. "I believe so. I'm so sad that I didn't get to join Daddy on his snorcack hunt. It's just as well, he said it was a bit dangerous for me."

"So, he's going to be gone for a while then?"

Luna sat on the window ledge, looking down at her feet. "Until the war is over. We can't even write."

Ginny's eyes went round, and she leant against the girl's desk. "So, you'll be here all summer, then."

"Yes. Daddy pulled me out of Hogwarts too. I assume I'll be here during the school year as well."

Ginny was alarmed at this. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Luna said dreamily, trying to adjust the moth eaten curtains. She sighed, and ended up taking them down fully. More natural light entered the room, but it was still rather dingy, on account of the grimy windows. Ginny's alarm turned into speculation, and then into worry. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"So…did you know that Harry isn't going to return to Hogwarts this year?"

Luna looked at her in surprise. "Really? Is he worried about Voldemort too?"

"Well yeah, but I mean, he's broke. He can't afford the tuition, so he's staying here at HQ."

"Oh…how terrible. I had no idea."

Ginny nodded. "Which is why you aren't' going to mention it to him, or mention that you'll be here during the school year. He's trying not to think about it right now, he's still having a hard time with Sirius and everything."

It was a complete lie- Harry thought about it constantly, as he was trying to figure out a way to support himself. But Luna wouldn't know that, since she'd just arrived. Ginny knew that Harry would try not to mention it around the blonde, though.

Luna looked sad. "Oh. I hope he's okay."

Ginny gave her friend a small smile. "I'm sure he will be. He always bounces back."

Luna woke in the middle of the night to a scream. She bolted upright suddenly, her wand in hand. She heard a whimper, and she got out bed, following the sounds. She heard someone walk in the hallway, and she opened her door slowly, peeking through.

Mrs. Weasley had just gone into Harry's room. The screams and cries quietened. Luna could see Ginny and Hermione poking their heads out too. The girls exchanged a look. Mrs. Weasley came out of Harry's bedroom, looking sad, and jumped as she saw the girls.

"Get to bed, girls, it's late."

Luna spoke up. "He had a nightmare."

"Yes, he did."

Time passed. The kids were often gathered in the study when they weren't cleaning, making up the plans for the DA that year. They had been told by the Headmaster that Snape was going to be teaching the Defense Course that year.

Harry was doubly glad he wasn't going to school that year, because of this. They spent their afternoons working on the lesson plans, wanting to get them finished before the term started. Sometimes the twins joined them.

The twins had offered to give Harry his money back, but it would take a while for the money to get to him fully. Harry turned the offer down, and they compromised. He'd get 10% of the sales that they made at their shop, and all the free stuff he wanted. All three thought it was a pretty good deal. In time, he'd get more money back, if they did well.

Harry didn't think things would be too bad at Grimmauld once everyone went back to school. He would still be able to write Ron and Hermione, and there would be plenty of people around. He'd probably go out to the muggle world too!

Harry and Mrs. Weasley were slowly making plans for decorating the house. With a bit of magic, it wouldn't be too hard to stick to a budget. They had taken down the elf heads and Mrs. Black's portrait, and moved them up to the attic for now. Mrs. Weasley said she had a few ideas to help Harry make some money once term started.

He was trying to keep himself distracted- his nightmares were becoming worse, and the news in the Daily Prophet was becoming grimmer. He could tell that Luna was perpetually worried about her Father, but tried to keep the mood light, by sketching and doodling cute little things for everyone to cheer them up- sometimes she would post them in the loo mirrors, or on the cupboard door, or inside Defense books, so that when someone opened the book, they'd be greeted by a cute little picture of a Snorcack, a Blubbering Humdinger, or whatever other creature Luna had decided to draw.

On his birthday, he got mostly clothes and books. Hermione had given him another planner, while Luna had given him a drawing of Himself, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny together. From the Headmaster, he got his broom back, not that he would get to use it there in London. Hagrid gave him Sirius' motorcycle, when Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking. Harry kept it shrunken, and stuck it in his sock drawer. He hoped that he would get to try it out sometime soon.

Harry and the others got their OWL scores, and Ginny got her Hogwarts letter. As Harry was about to open his OWL scores, he noticed that Luna was the only one who hadn't received a letter.

"Luna…didn't you get a Hogwarts letter?"

"Oh, no. I'm not going to Hogwarts this year." Luna said placidly.

All the students went silent, staring at her. Mrs. Weasley spoke up, blushing.

"Luna is going to be here at the House. Her Father thought it best if she wasn't at the school, for her safety. She'll be tutored along with you."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ron exclaimed.

Luna shrugged. "You never asked."

They slowly went back to their letters, and Harry opened his results. On the whole, not too terrible, except for History of Magic and Diviniation. That was a bit obvious, though. He was pleased to see that he'd gotten his O in Defense, with a distinction for his Patronus.

Hermione, of course, got straight O's, except for her Defense score. She was still pleased, though. Ron vainly tried to hide his scores from his mother, but she was having none of that.

Ginny watched Harry watch Luna from across the table. He'd been doing it off and on all summer, it seemed. To be honest, it had really started last term, with the DA. Ginny was…jealous, she had to admit. She had no idea what Harry saw in the girl- it wasn't like she was built well, or wore revealing clothes. As a matter of fact, her clothes were practically ragged.

Luna turned her book upside down, and tilted her head, and Ginny watched Harry smile slightly. Luna was the only one that could make Harry really smile these days. He was having nightmares nearly every night, and was getting more gaunt and haggard with each sleepless night that passed. But that happy twinkle entered his eye whenever Harry looked at Luna.

Ginny wanted to know what was so special about the girl, to make Harry look at her like that. They barely knew each other! She and Harry were both Gryffindors, and they had practically known each other since Harry's first year…why couldn't he look at her like that?

Ginny helped Harry shelve some books after an intense study session- the others were helping Mrs. Weasley with lunch. Ginny flashed a smile at Harry, accepting a book from him. She shelved it, and Harry looked away, blushing as he saw her shirt rise up just slightly as she did so.

"So…it'll be you and Luna this year. I know things will get kind of boring, what with you two not being allowed to sit in on meetings…feel free to write me, if you want."

Harry nodded. "Of course. I'll be writing Ron and Hermoine too. I want you guys to keep me up to date on everything."

Ginny sighed.

"So…what do you think about Luna's dad being on the run?"

"He's a smart man." Harry said, and Ginny looked at him in surprise. He saw her look, and shrugged. "I knew if I had the chance, I'd run off too."

"But…you're a Gryffindor." Ginny exclaimed. How could Harry think like that? He was the bravest person she knew!

"I want to live." Harry said. "I know, realistically, I could never just…leave, but if I had the choice, and the opportunity, I'd take it."

"But-"

"No, Ginny. I'm going to make the most of the time I have here. I'll study like mad to end this war, but afterwards, I'm leaving, if I can."

Ginny's heart thumped wildly in her chest. "You can't do that here- yeah, you'll have Remus and the others here, but Ron and Hermione-"

"Need to learn to be strong on their own. They are. They really are. They just need to see how it feels not to…depend on me sometimes."

"But…but…" Ginny's thoughts raced. "Won't it be distracting here? With Luna being here?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really. Luna's a quiet person. Heck, she could probably help me study, she is a Ravenclaw, you know."

She watched the slow grin spread on his face at the mention of her. No, no…no, she couldn't let this happen.

Harry walked into Ginny and Hermione's bedroom the night before the students were supposed to leave for Hogwarts. He knew that they were in the middle of packing, and wanted to ask Hermione if she had one of his Defense books. He opened the door, eyes widening as he saw Ginny, Hermione, and Luna all in various states of dress, obviously trying clothes on.

"Harry!" Ginny screeched, holding a shirt to her chest. Hermione hurried to pull a sweater on over her head, while Luna just stood there, uncaring that Harry could see her in her (rather cute) knickers.

"Ahh!" Harry cried out, covering his eyes. He felt himself shoved out of the bedroom, and the door was slammed behind him. He lowered his hand, feeling his face heat up.

He'd seen Luna's knickers. They were cute knickers, pink, with little heart shapes-

He'd seen Ginny's boobs. He'd SEEN Ginny's BOOBS! And Hermione's bra! Both girls were built a bit curvier than Luna-

Luna's slender body- unmarked and pale, and so pretty-

"Harry?" He heard the door open. He peeked through his fingers.

It was Luna. She was dressed in her dress from earlier.

"Hi." He mumbled. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked."

"Hermione and Ginny are a bit embarrassed, but I think they'll be okay." Luna said, tilting her head. "Are you okay?"

He lowered his hands slightly. "Yeah. I mean…Merlin, they're going to kill me."

Luna's lips twitched into a smile. "I don't think so. So, did you get a good look?"

Harry blushed. "Er…I didn't mean to-"

Luna hid her widening grin behind her hand. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Harry."

The door opened once more, and Hermione and Ginny came out of the bedroom, looking a bit embarrassed. He could tell Ginny hadn't bothered with putting a bra on.

"I'm so sorry! I honestly didn't mean to, I was just going to ask you if you'd seen my Defense book, Hermione."

"Oh…it's in the Library." Hermione said, looking as though she didn't want to meet his eyes.

The four of them were quiet for a moment, and Harry spoke to Ginny and Hermione. "I honestly didn't mean to walk in on you guys, I think of you as sisters, practically, and-"

"Aw!" Hermione glomped him, and hugged him. Ginny's playful smile faded, and she looked down at her feet, looking as though she wanted to cry. Luna looked thoughtful.

"You don't think of us like that?" Ginny asked carefully.

Harry blushed. "I mean, you guys are pretty and all, but I'm…just going to go now." He practically ran to his room, and hid out.

Hermione was bubbling with happiness over Harry declaring her 'practically a sister'. She had always thought of him as a brother, and she was more than glad that he felt the same about her. Her happiness was short lived, though, as the three girls gathered in the room once more.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny's voice catched, her eyes getting misty. "That little…ugh! He thinks of me like a sister!"

Luna sat down on Hermione's bed. "I think that was meant as a compliment, Ginny. He feels safe with you."

Ginny flopped onto her bed, and screamed into her pillow. Hermoine and Luna exchanged a look. Hermoine started to pick up their discarded clothes from the floor and the beds. Luna, being smaller than both Hermione and Ginny, was going to receive many of their clothes that they couldn't fit into anymore.

"Ginny, you have to realize that Harry is not thinking about relationships at the moment. He's got his hands full with the war- his focus needs to be on Voldemort-" Hermione began.

"But he's unhappy that way! For just a second, as he looked at me, I thought I saw just a normal, horny, teenage guy!" Ginny cried out.

Hermoine pursed her lips, not wanting to mention that although she had seen a spark of lust in his eyes; it wasn't directed at herself or Ginny, but at Luna. She too had seen the looks her best friend had given the blonde.

"Ginny, you have to be patient." Hermoine said quietly.

"Ginny, are you attracted to Harry?" Luna asked, pulling her shoes back on.

"Duh!"

"Ginny, don't be rude." Hermoine turned to Luna. "Ginny's had a crush on Harry since she was a little girl."

"Since Mum told me the story about the Boy-Who-Lived."

Luna tilted her head. "Wait, so your crush started before you met him?"

Hermoine saw the logic of Luna's question, but unfortunately, Ginny hadn't. "Yes, of course. Don't most girls?"

"I don't." Luna said. She didn't think Harry was cute until after she'd met him properly, the year before.

Hermoine rolled her eyes. "The point is, Harry is just a normal guy. Yeah, so what if he defeated Voldemort when he was a baby? He's also Harry the Quidditch player, Harry the procrastinator, and Harry the boy who has trouble sleeping." She looked at Ginny. "Yeah, he might have perved on us, but he obviously didn't mean to. What guy wouldn't check us out?" She said, trying to diffuse the situation.

Luna giggled at this. "A gay one?"

* * *

The next morning, harry had to say his goodbyes to his friends in the foyer- he and Luna weren't going to be accompanying the others to the station. It wasn't safe enough. Moody, Remus, and the Weasleys went with them, leaving Harry and Luna alone in the house.

Harry stared at the door, slipping his hands into his pockets. He already missed them. Luna picked some lint off of her sweater. "So, what shall we do until the grown-ups come back?"

Harry shrugged, and trudged up the stairs. Luna followed him. "I think I'm going to paint. Would you like to paint as well?"

"Paint?"

Luna gave him a small smile. "It's lots of fun."

Harry followed her into her room, and his eyes widened. The wallpaper had been stripped from her room, and Mrs. Weasley had apparently taught Luna that painting spell, because all the walls were pure white.

Luna's bed was made neatly, the pale pink comforter and the bright green throw blanket made the dark wood of the furniture look completely different.

"Help me move this bed, Harry."

They moved the bed from the wall, and moved the desk and dresser from the wall as well. Harry drew his wand, and the two of them painted wide vertical stripes of pale blue onto the white. Then she got out her paint set, and plopped herself down onto her chair, and busied herself with her painting.

Harry sat, watching her from the bed as the walls slowly began to transform. Layers of various magical and muggle flowers and animals wound around the stripes, first in pencil, and then she began to paint in colors.

Luna began to talk. "My Mother taught me how to paint, when I was quite small. I just started with paper and ink, but then she taught me how to mix my own paint. When Mum died, we had to rebuild the house, and Daddy let me paint everything."

Harry stared at her.

"So I did. There's murals all over the house now. I think they make him happy when he sees them. Usually, when he goes on trips, I send him my drawings often."

She sighed. Harry knew that the girl missed her Father quite a bit. And they couldn't even write each other.

"Maybe you could just send a drawing? He would have to know it was from you."

She shook her head, looking sad. "I'm afraid he could be tracked down because of the owls."

"Oh."

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Paint with me?"

Harry went to her side, and she handed him a paint brush. He wasn't very good at it. He'd drawn a lot as a kid, but that was just with pencil and paper. He'd never painted properly before.

He began to get hungry, so he got up from his place. He smiled as he saw Luna had gotten a smear of blue paint on her cheek, and that her hands and arms had bits of color as well.

"I'm going to fix something to eat. Want me to make you something?"

She looked at him with those wide eyes of her. "You cook?"

Harry grinned. "Do I cook? Of course I do."

"I'm famished. Is it hard to cook? I've never really done it before. Daddy always cooked for us."

"Well, I started when I was four…it's not that hard. I'll get started."

He went downstairs to the kitchen, and noticed that Mrs. Weasley had gotten the ingredients to make some apple pie, so he cleared the table, and set to doing just that.

That afternoon, the Order members returned to the smell of something delicious filling the house, and laughter in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley led the way, and smiled as she saw a flour-covered Harry at the kitchen table, with three cooling pies on the counter, and a batch of cookies. He was in the middle of making some more cookies.

Luna had paint all up and down her hands and arms, and on her dress. She even had a smear of paint on her cheek. She was nibbling on a cookie. The two teens looked at the woman sheepishly. Remus laughed.

"Made a mess, did you?"

Tonks groaned, sniffing at the pies. "I'm starving! Is that apple pie?"

"Yeah. Don't go cutting into it, though, I've made some chicken for dinner."

"Harry dear, you didn't need to do all this!" Mrs. Weasley said, pulling on her apron, and joined Harry at the table. He watched her prepare the cookies in awe- she was _fast_. "Anyways, this is entirely too much!"

"I'll take some home with me. I don't mind." Tonks offered with a grin.

Remus turned to Luna. "And what have you been doing, young lady?"

"Painting. Want to see my room?"

After a good dinner, Remus and Tonks helped clean up, letting Harry and Mrs. Weasley wrap up some of the leftover pies.

"I'm going to take these pies to the market in the morning." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "I think it would be only right for you to get the money, dear."

Harry blinked at her in surprise, wrapping the last bit in twine and fabric. "What?"

"Well, when the children were younger, I used to make pies and biscuits with whatever leftovers I had, and I sent them to the market to be sold." Mrs. Weasley explained. She smiled at Harry. "It's one of the many things I did to make a bit of extra pocket money. And considering how delicious these were, I say they'll go for a good amount."

She winked at the boy.

The following morning, Harry and Luna woke early, and reported to the library after breakfast. Remus was there, waiting for them. "I want to test both of you this week to see where you are in your subjects."

He handed them each a stack of papers. "You'll do that this morning, and this afternoon, we'll have a bit of a practical."

They had been kept constantly busy with Remus' tests. On the second day of term, the Daily Prophet was full of speculation about where Harry could be- many people said he was in hiding, others said that he'd run away. Harry threw the paper into the fire.

They didn't think the tests were hard, just exhausting. Harry's pies sold for a 30 Sickles a piece, which was a fair amount. He put the money aside in his drawer, saving it up for when he could make a deposit. Boy, a deposit sounded good. He'd saved up 76 Galleons from what the twins had given him- his 10% of the store's profits.

Friday night, McGonagall came by and handed each of them a stack of her and Flitwick's second and third year summer homework. Both of them would get paid 2 galleons a piece for the lot. McGonagall said that she would be doing this thorought the year, to keep them on their toes, she could add the first, and fourth years' work as well, for 2 more Galleons.

Harry and Luna were both happy with that arrangement.

They'd also received their letters from Ron, Hermoine, and Ginny- and to their surprise, Neville had written them both!

Harry read Neville's letter over Luna's shoulder at breakfast that morning, smiling at all the little tidbits that the others hadn't included in their own letters- Ron and Hermoine's bickering, Snape being even more caustic than usual, and Malfoy being suspicious.

Later on that morning, the two of them settled into the library to do the grading. Harry glanced at Luna, who was sitting by the window, marking silently. She was sitting Indian style on the floor, the light from the window falling down on her, making her blonde hair shine. Mrs. Weasley came into the room, and began to clean the fireplace.

Harry's eyes went right back to Luna momentarily. She glanced his way, and he looked back down to the second year transfiguration paper he'd been grading. A few pages later, he looked back up, and continued to watch her.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, and Harry couldn't sleep. Again. It wasn't because of a nightmare, this time. He glared at his lap.

"The first night I don't have a nightmare, and you have to wake me up!" He hissed. "I just want some fucking sleep, but no, you just keep…argh." He grunted, taking himself in hand. It seemed like he was doing that a lot lately.

Thoughts of soft pretty skin, shiny hair, and cute little knickers danced in his mind's eyes- Susan's red hair, Hannah's boobs, even Daphe Greengrasses' cute bum. Then he saw another cute bum, clothed in heart covered knickers, and pale soft skin, and long blonde hair….

"Luna…" He breathed softly, stroking himself harder, thinking of her perhaps pulling down those knickers, revealing her bottom to him. He thought of how soft it must be, and what it would be like to touch it- she danced around in his mind's eye, skipping and whirling about- a smile on her face.

She looked happy. She wiggled her bum at him playfully.

The following morning, he couldn't look her in the eye. She didn't even notice.

* * *

Harry's arm grew sore after casting so many spells- he'd been stripping the wallpaper from the walls all morning. According to Remus, it was good practice. You had to use your magic like a muscle, he said, and the best way to test it was to cast the same spell repeatedly. Which he was doing.

Apparently he'd gotten out of shape.

Harry made a face at the wallpaper as it fluttered to the floor. He banished it, and began again. Luna approached him, looking thoughtful.

"Hullo."

"Hi."

"You've been working all morning."

Harry groaned. "I know. My arm is killing me."

"Why don't you take a break?"

"I need to practice. You finish your Charms paper?"

She nodded, watching him banish a bit of wallpaper.

"Would you like for me to help?"

"Please?"

She drew her wand, and the two of them worked side by side to strip the rest of the wallpaper. It was a bit easier, and Harry didn't feel so bad, working alone. In fact, Luna had made it fun, in a contest to see who could cast the spell the fastest.

Mrs. Weasley watched from the door way, a small smile on her face. She gave Remus a Look, and Remus sighed resignedly.

Harry was reading a herbology book when there was a soft knock on his door.

"Come in." He greeted, and Remus came in, closing the door behind him. Harry sat up on his bed, smiling.

"Hey Remus. I've almost finished that chapter."

"Oh. Good." Remus sat at Harry's desk chair, lost in thought.

"Harry…did…Sirius ever give you the Talk?" He asked uncomfortably.

Harry blushed. "Er…not really. He'd been a bit drunk, and he ended up telling me a story about the Mauraders…something about stealing girl's knickers."

Remus sighed. "I suppose your Uncle never told you either?"

Harry looked away. "Not really."

Remus ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. "Well, what _do_ you know?"

"Well…not much. I mean, Dean and Seamus have snogged a few girls, but they never really got further than that. The twins sometimes said stuff, but I couldn't really tell if they were joking."

"Well…when a man and a woman love each other very much, they…want to express that love physically. Now, it is something that should always be done with respect, love, and honor. Girls don't like it much when boys kiss and tell…er, you _have_ kissed a girl..right?"

Harry nodded, making a face.

"What's the face for?"

"She was crying."

Remus raised a brow. "Okay…well, when you do anything with a girl, you should really let her set the pace. If she's not ready for something, don't push it. And if you _do_ do something, you should always be safe."

"Um..okay."

"Now, there aren't any legal contraceptive spells, but there is a potion that girls can take- it's a bit expensive, though. They take it once a month. Still, I would be careful, and use a muggle contraceptive as well, just in case she's late in taking the potion or something."

"Oh." Harry blushed. "Like, er, Condoms, right?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. Now, do you have any questions?"

Harry bit his lip. "So…um, I heard it hurts the girl. Is that true?"

"The first time, it can. I suggest that you…take it slow. Ask her if she's okay. Check to see if she's in pain. I know it might seem embarrassing, but it will feel a lot more enjoyable for the both of you if you communicate."

Harry stared at him.

Remus continued. "Talk to her, and listen to what she has to say. She might like certain things- ask her to show you, or tell you. You can do the same for her. Not everything is centered on that part of her body- girls are sensitive all over. I'm sure you'll be nervous your first time- you have to remember, she'll probably be nervous too."

"…Okay."

"Any more questions?" At Harry's beet red face, and the shake of his head, Remus breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Well, if you have any questions, or if you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Harry nodded quickly. Remus stood from the chair. "Dinner will be ready soon."

* * *

Harry stared at Luna as she wandered down the hallway. She was wearing a gauzy grey dress. It was made out of a thin cotton, and it hung loosely on her. She glanced over her shoulder at Harry, and he felt his face warm. His hands grew clammy, and he clenched them. He could only think of one of his many dreams about her, where he kissed her in this hallway, pinning her to the wall and having his way with her.

"Dinner was good." Harry said lamely.

Luna gave him a small smile, and leant against the wall. "It was. I've always liked Mrs. Weasley's potatoes. Are you alright Harry? You were quiet all through dinner."

"I'm fine." He said quietly. "So…Ron and Hermione wrote me again."

"I know. I was there when you got the letter, silly."

"Oh yeah." Harry looked down at his feet. "Well…goodnight."

He turned away, and walked towards his room, internally berating himself.

"I think you should paint the walls in your room. Aren't you tired of that plain old boring white?" Luna asked, making him freeze.

"I'm…not a really good artist. Could you do it?"

She smiled, going to his side. "Of course. I'd be happy to. I can start tonight, if you like."

"Okay."

She got her supplies, and Harry attempted to read some more at his desk while she worked. When he'd read the same page three times, he gave up for the night, and turned to watch her paint.

She was painting various creatures and flowers on his walls too, but he noted that Hedwig was the predominate animal, larger than life, wings spread as though she was flying. He spotted Gryffindor lions, Phoenixes, and Hippogriffs. He even spotted a Basilisk hiding.

He smiled, and got up from his chair. He watched Luna lean in close to the wall, painting Fawke's feathers carefully. He watched her long hair slide over her shoulder, wisps of it touching the wet paint on the wall. He moved forward before he knew it, and he was holding her hair back in one of his hands. Her hair was soft in his hand, her long curls bunched up in his fist easily. Merlin, it felt softer than he'd imagined.

Her paintbrush lifted from the wall, and she looked at him in surprise.

"You were getting paint in your hair." Harry said softly, staring into her eyes.

"Thank you." She replied, just as softly. His grip eased on her hair, and it slipped between his fingers- before it could slip entirely away, he took a lock and wrapped it around his finger.

"I like what you've done. It looks good." He twisted his finger in her hair, tightening his grip. It wrapped so easily around his finger. He wanted to pull on it for some strange reason.

She watched his finger wrap around her hair, and she looked back up to meet his eyes. She hadn't told him to stop. Was she okay with him touching her hair? It was so pretty…

"Thank you. I thought you might especially enjoy the picture of your owl."

"I think she will appreciate it too." Harry said, leaning in close. He was inches away from her when she gasped, looking down.

"You touched the paint- I think you smeared it."

He looked down, and indeed, his pants had brushed against the wall that they were standing next to. He pulled away, loosening his hold on her hair. She bent down to clean up her supplies, and he got a look down the front of her dress, spotting a white bit that had to be her bra.

He blushed, looking away as she stood, her supplies in hands. "I have a lot more work to do. I'll come back tomorrow."

Luna went back to her room that evening, lost in thought. For a moment, it looked as thought Harry was going to kiss her. She set her supplies on her desk with a frown.

Why would he do that? There were much more prettier girls than her- like Ginny. She wiped her hands clean of paint, and her eyes met her reflection in the mirror that sat on her bedside table.

She picked up the mirror, and looked to her hair. Harry had touched her hair. It had felt…nice.

What she felt for Harry was confusing. He was a friend- or the closest thing she had to a friend. Part of her hoped that Harry had wanted to kiss her. What would it be like? According to Cho Chang, he was a terrible kisser, but Luna had never really believed any of the gossip that she told anyways.

She pressed her fingertips to her lips, wondering how he would kiss. Would he be gentle, romantic? Or would he be rough, taking charge of the kiss? Her fingertips twitched in excitement at this last thought.

There was a reason why she liked to watch him duel and practice spells so much- a fire entered his eyes that she quite liked. She wondered if he would ever look like that from kissing- if it was even possible.

* * *

Harry was working in the kitchen one afternoon, refinishing the cabinets. Their paint had been stripped, and now he was repainting them white. Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the kitchen, smiling.

"How is it coming Harry?"

"Good. It's a bit tough, getting the insides, but I think I'll manage."

"If you need any help, Luna and I are in the library."

"Oh?"

"We're going to strip and paint the shelves. You wanted those white as well, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I want the walls to be blue. It can be anything but super-bright blue. Let her choose the shade."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, and smiled. "I'm so glad the two of you are willing to do these little projects! I know if Ronnie was here, he'd be hiding out in his room."

Harry shrugged. "Guess it's different, if it's _your_ place. Hey, Mrs. Weasley, what do you think about me renting out all those rooms, once the war is over?"

The woman smiled. "I think that's a good idea, at least until you settle down with your own family- there's plenty of space."

Harry returned the smile.

Harry was working with Mr. Weasley on making a budget. The man was teaching him how to keep a ledger to keep track of what he'd been spending. He got, on average, about 30 Galleons a week from his share of the profits with the twins. He also got about 6 Galleons a week from marking papers for McGonagall and Flitwick, and another 2 Galleons or so from the baking he did with Mrs. Weasley each week. He contributed about 15 Galleons a week towards food for the house, and so far had spent another 15 Galleons in various redecorating things for the House.

Mr. Weasley explained to him that you had to spend money to make money, sometimes. Like he often spent a little bit of extra money on food so that Mrs. Weasley could make her pies and pastries, and then sell them in the market sometimes. Or how Harry was fixing up the house, so that he could potentially rent out the rooms after the war.

Harry currently had 114 Galleons in his account, and was looking forward to being able to make more.

* * *

Harry glared out the window. It was raining, again. It was the fourth day in a row he'd woken to this. The house had becoming stifling, especially since Luna and he were not allowed out under any circumstances. He lit his candle. The rain made the house even darker than usual, and stuffy.

He could hear a rumble of thunder as he set his candlestick down on his bedside table, and stood up from his bed. His bedroom door suddenly opened as lightning cracked outside. Luna looked terrified. She rushed forward, dressing robe flying open, revealing floor length white nightgown.

"Luna?"

She whimpered, burying her head into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. He held her awkwardly with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like lightning. Logically, I know it's nothing to be scared of, but I'm still scared of it." She whispered. "I wouldn't have bothered you with this, but Mrs. Weasley is at the burrow today, she wanted to make sure that the house's wards were still blocking the rain from getting inside."

He sat on the edge of his bed, and she followed, and he held her.

"I used to be scared too, when I was little." Harry said quietly, running a hand through her hair. Why couldn't he stop touching her hair?

"Really?"

Harry nodded. She looked up and he gave her a small smile. Her tension eased slightly, and then she jumped as another crack of lightning rumbled around the house. She cried out, and then got off the bed, and hid under it.

Harry got off the bed in a flash, and looked under it, dearly hoping Luna wouldn't find those girly magazines he'd stashed there- he spotted Luna curled up, eyes clamped shut in the dim light.

"Luna…come on…it's safe." He said, reaching for her. Her hand grabbed his, and tugged. He managed to wriggle under the bed as well, and turned to face her. He could hear her sniffling in the darkness. He eased her into his arms.

"When I was little, and there was a storm out, and I was locked in my-" He frowned. "When no one else was there, I calmed myself down by thinking about something happy. Like about how all those plants and trees out there were going to grow big and strong because of all that rain." He admitted, blushing. He'd nearly told her about the cupboard- nobody knew about that. Not even Ron and Hermoine.

Luna looked at him and then she closed her eyes, as though she was trying to visualize what Harry had said. She slowly calmed down when it sounded as though the worst of the storm had ended. Her dressing robe was soft and warm- it was probably getting dirty from all the dust under the bed.

She relaxed into his embrace with a deep sigh. He felt it on his cheek and neck, and he fought himself from burying his face into her hair. Merlin, he wanted to touch her some more…he slowly slid his hand over her side, dipping to her stomach, and pushed his hand gently under her dressing robe, feeling her thin nightgown bunch up under his fingers. He ran his hand up and down her back. She snuggled a bit closer to him.

He inched his lower half away from her slowly, so she wouldn't notice what was…going on down there.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

Harry gently pulled her head so that it tucked in under his chin. He felt her hand slide up his thin t-shirt slowly, and she nuzzled his neck.

"We should get some breakfast. Are you hungry? I could make us some eggs and toast…" Harry blurted nervously. He needed to get out of here soon, or he was going to do something he regretted.

She shook her head, and settled into his embrace even further. Before he knew it, his eyes closed, and he had been lulled asleep by the rain falling on the roof. He was tired.

He woke to a shifting in his arms, and he looked down to see Luna looking up at him sleepily. He jolted awake, and wondered how long they'd slept. This was the first time he'd slept properly in ages- it was nice.

"Come on, we better get up." He said, his voice a little rough.

She nodded, and they crawled out from their hiding place under the bed. Luna brushed off the various dust bunnies from her dressing robe, while Harry did the same to his t-shirt. He then realized that he was in his boxers in front of the girl, and blushed.

She looked unaffected. "I'll go get cleaned up. Harry, could you possibly get that blueberry jam out for me?" She smiled at him sweetly.

"Oh…of course."

They spent the afternoon reading their assigned reading, silently taking notes. Harry realized that he was so much more…relaxed than he ever was at Hogwarts. He came to the conclusion that even if had the money next year, he wasn't going to go back. He would just take his exams at the Ministry.

He looked across the kitchen table at Luna, who was fiddling with one of her radish earrings as she read a passage in her book. He wanted to tell her about the cupboard. Why? He'd never told anyone else before. But he felt like…he wanted to, with her. He knew she wouldn't ask a ton of questions, or pressure him into telling an adult like Hermoine and Ron would.

"Luna?"

"Hmm?"

"Earlier…when I said about being locked up?" Her eyes flicked to his. Yes, she had noticed his comment earlier. She pushed her book aside, and gave him her full attention.

He looked down, fiddling with the page of his book. And he began to talk. Quietly. About his time with the Dursleys. About everything.

Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen that afternoon, and dropped back from the doorway slightly, to see Harry and Luna in the room. Their work was spread all out across the table, but neither of them were working. They were standing by the sink, and it looked like Harry had been crying. Luna was hugging him, head tucked under his chin, looking as serene as ever.

"Thank you. For letting me tell you."

Luna's response was just a slight smile. "What are friends for?"

He pulled away from her slightly, looking down at her. "Friends."

She nodded, feeling happy.

"Why don't we get back to work. Mrs. Weasley won't be happy if she finds our Herbology essays aren't finished."

They both sat down at the table, and Mrs. Weasley waited a bit, and then came into the room.

"Hullo children. Well, the Burrow is safe and sound from the storm- the wards held up. Of course, the Gnomes are getting drowned out, the poor things. They're all heading for the forest, though." She added, seeing Luna's worried look.

* * *

Harry tossed and turned in bed that night, flashes of being in the cupboard again, except this time, it was much too small for him, and the walls were closing in-

"Harry?" He bolted up, wand drawn. He looked over to see who he assumed to be Luna in the doorway. He pulled his glasses on, so he could see her properly. She was holding her candlestick in her hand, its soft glow filling the room.

"Were you having a nightmare?" She asked softly.

He nodded, and glanced at the clock. "Yeah. I'm okay now, though. It's late, you should get back to sleep."

Luna didn't leave though, she came in fully, and closed the door behind her. "Harry…you have nightmares almost every night. How can you…stand it?"

Harry looked away, shrugging. She set her candlestick on his bedside table, and sat on the edge of his bed. Harry shifted away slightly, so that she had more room. Luna was on his bed!

"I used to have nightmares too. About when my Mum died." She said, taking his hand. "It was a long time before they stopped. I was at Hogwarts, and the girls were getting tired of being woken up all the time."

"I'm sorry…I'll put up a silencer, I had no idea I was keeping you awake." Harry whispered.

Luna shook her head. "You shouldn't do that. If you have a silencer up, how can anyone know to wake you?" She gave him a small smile. "I'll wake you up if you have another nightmare. If you want me to."

Harry couldn't speak. He only nodded. Luna was such a nice girl. Was it horrible of him to hope that he get to see her pajamas on one of those nights? His eyes flicked to the bit of her nightgown that he could see through that wasn't covered by her dressing robe.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Luna asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'm okay now, Luna. Thanks for waking me."

She gave him a small smile, and stood. "You're welcome." She picked up her candlestick. "Good night."

_Dear Luna, _

_This is Hermione. I'm glad that you're doing so well in your studies. Harry has been telling me that your dueling has improved quite a bit! I heard that you finished mine and Ginny's room- I bet it looks beautiful. I can't wait to see it- your work is so amazing! The pictures you sent of your room and Harry's room looked lovely- they both suit you very well. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like your work. Well, I hope you and Harry are getting on. Take care, will you?_

_Hermione_

**Hi Luna, Hermione told me and Ginny she was going to send a letter off to you guys, so I thought I'd send an update of what's going on here. Snape is still teaching us how to cast silently. It's really hard. I wish I hadn't done so well on my Defense OWL. Then again, Mum nearly killed me 'cos I had only gotten the three…oh well. Say hi to Harry for me. **

**Ron**

_I managed to snatch this letter away before the two lovebirds could send it off. Any day now, they're going to be in the middle of arguing ,and they'll start to snog. Maybe. Anyways, how is everything? Is Harry okay? What have you been up to lately? Oh, and about Harry- when he's quiet like that, and staring off, he's usually thinking about the war. He might be looking at you, but his mind wanders. Boys. Anyways, has he said anything about us? I told him in my last letter that I was going to go to Hogsmeade with Dean Thomas- did he say anything about that? _

_All the girls here miss Harry terribly- Cho Chang the most. Even though she'd Head Girl this year, and dating Rodger Davies, every time we see her, she's always asking about Harry. They went out last year, did you know? They even snogged! Cho said he was pretty awful, but she didn't mind terribly- he is famous after all. _

_Well, gotta go. _

_Ginny_

* * *

September progressed into October, and the two teens were keeping themselves busy. In fact, they were ahead in their studies a bit. They continued to grade papers for McGonagall and Flitwick, and Harry was being taught by Mrs. Weasley to bake some of her special recipes. Luna was continuing to paint the room Ginny and Hermoine had stayed in when they came for the holidays. She'd painted a serene field, sunny skies, with oddly shaped clouds. In the long blades of grass, there were insects hiding that you had to really look to see.

Harry and Mrs. Weasley had finished the kitchen- it was painted a warm golden color, with a dark navy trim, that went well with the white cabinets. They refinished the kitchen table and chairs, so that the overall room looked much lighter.

One afternoon, Harry was shining up the silver when the Order started to come in for their weekly meeting. Harry sighed, resigned that he and Luna were never going to be allowed to listen in. They weren't missing much, apparently, as Voldemort hadn't attacked anyone. He was biding his time, for some reason.

Mudungus eyed the silver that was laid out on the table, and Harry glared at him suspiciously. More than once, he'd caught the man eyeing some of the things in his home.

"Wow Harry, this place looks really classy!" Tonks said with a grin, fiddling with the navy and cream colored napkins that Mrs. Weasley had gotten.

"Thank you. Mrs. Weasley did some of it too."

Remus sat next to him at the table, taking care not to touch the silver. "I thought you didn't like that set?"

"I don't. Toujors Por! Ha, they'd be rolling in their graves if they saw a halfblood owning their precious set of silverwear. No, Mrs. Weasley and I are going to be selling this set in the muggle world. You can't use the silver anyways. We're going to get a new set. Muggle steel."

Remus raised a brow. "The muggle world, eh? Make sure the set is not cursed."

Mrs. Weasley came in, following her husband. "Yes, I'd like to arrange a little outing for the children- they've been stuck in this house all this time, I'm surprised they haven't gone stir crazy…"

Harry shrugged, looking down at the gleaming silver. "We keep ourselves busy."

Tonks snickered at this, and Harry glanced her way. Dumbledore and Snape finally came in, and he knew that was his cue. He packed the set up into the velvet-lined box, and gave them a small smile. As he walked out the door, he heard Mrs. Weasley ask if they could go to the muggle world.

* * *

Harry hummed as he carried the bag containing his new silverwear set. It also contained some muggle cookware and tools he couldn't wait to try. He had splurged a bit in the Kitchen supply store. He'd even gotten himself a proper apron! Some of the Order members had given him a teasing when they'd seen him in Mrs. Weasley's apron when he'd been cooking one day.

Luna was carrying a bulky bag that contained canvas, and some new brushes. She often made her own paint, usually in the cellar alongside their potions lessons. Harry had offered to get her muggle style paint, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to try that yet. Harry had insisted on buying the things for her- he had gotten 180 Pounds, or 540 Galleons richer because of the silverwear and dinnerwear sets they'd sold. He called it an early Christmas present.

Mrs. Weasley and Remus were carrying sets of muggle glasses and dinnerwear. The plates were white, with a thin gold trim, with matching cups and saucers. They would spell all of it later to be unbreakable. All in all, it was a good day. Harry had 200 Galleons to convert through Mrs. Weasley once they got back.

* * *

Harry glared out the window, darkly thinking about what could happen that night. It was Halloween, and something bad always happened on Halloween.

There was a soft knock at his door, and he turned to see Luna there. She gave him a small smile, fiddling with her sleeve. "You've been hiding in here all day."

Harry shrugged, turning back to the window. "It's Halloween."

She sat next to him on the bed. "Would you like to talk?"

"No. Not really."

She handed over a cookie shaped like a pumpkin. "Flitwick brought these earlier for us. From the Feast."

Harry accepted it with a sigh. As he munched on it, he watched some of the kids out on the street go from door to door.

"I've never gone trick or treating."

"Me either." Luna replied. He felt the bed shift, and he saw her kicking her shoes off, and cross her legs Indian style. "Daddy never let me. Said that Halloween was just a commercial holiday for muggles that had taken over the traditional pagan holidays, and that we shouldn't support it."

Harry gave her a Look.

"I always wanted some of that candy." Luna said shyly.

"Well…we could sneak out." Harry said with a grin. He wanted a good Halloween memory, for once. Maybe with Luna, he could get one.

Luna's eyes gleamed with excitement. "And how do you expect we can do that?"

Harry took out his invisibility cloak from his bottom drawer, and Luna gasped in appreciation.

"I want you to make sure where all the adults are in the house. I'll do it too. We'll meet back here in five minutes. Why don't we dress up as something?"

They did just that, after making sure that none of the adults would be in the foyer. They snuck down the stairs together under the cloak, and quietly left the house.

Harry and Luna exchanged a look under the cloak.

"This is so exciting!" Luna exclaimed. They went into a nearby alleyway, so that Harry could put his cloak away.

The two of them soon joined the other muggles out on the street, and wandered around for a bit. Harry had worn a cloak, as did Luna, and they were going as Witch and Wizard, just wearing their usual clothes underneath the cloaks. Harry gaped at some of the children's costumes- they were much fancier than when he'd been small. Not that he'd ever gotten to wear a costume.

Luna grabbed his hand, and tugged him up the sidewalk, pointing to a kid throwing a tantrum over his spilt candy, his Mother and Father were hurrying to pick it up.

"All over some spilt candy?" She murmured.

Harry had never really liked kids all that much- even ones his own age, growing up. He made a slight face.

"I'm never going to have children." Luna declared. "They're much too fussy."

Harry snickered. "I bet you'll change your mind when you're older- all girls love babies."

They passed some kids, who were grinning and laughing, with masks and costumes on. They darted in between the two teens, not paying much attention to them.

"We should get masks." Luna said, motioning to a child's Gorilla mask. "That looks like fun."

Harry motioned to a club up the street. People were lined up inside, dressed in all sorts of scandalous costumes. "_That_ looks like fun."

"We can't go in!" Luna hissed.

"Oh yes we can!" Harry patted the pocket that held his invisibility cloak. Luna laughed, and they ducked into an alley, and got under the cloak. The two of them snuck in, narrowly missing the bouncer. As soon as they were able to, they took the cloak off, and Harry stowed it away once more.

The two of them looked around with wide eyes at the scene. Harry grabbed her hand instantly, and dragged her to the dance floor. He was excited, and pumped- he had no reservations about dancing now- it might have had something to do with the blonde attached to his hand.

Luna laughed as he whirled her around, cloak flying. They began to dance alongside the muggles, having the time of their lives. Luna closed her eyes, becoming lost in the music- it was nothing like she'd ever heard on the wizarding wireless. Harry became just as enchanted with the sight of the blonde dancing- he couldn't keep his eyes from her.

He moved closer, putting his hands on her waist. She stopped her dancing in surprise, her eyes wide. Harry blushed, and was about to pull his hands away, but she moved closer to him, a small smile on her face. She lent forward, grinning, and yelled into his ear so he could hear her. "It's okay if you step on my toes- I won't mind!"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Dancing with Luna was so much fun- it so much better than some stupid Ball at Hogwarts.

* * *

At One AM, they stumbled into Grimmauld Place, grinning broadly, with glitter on their cloaks and hair- who knew where it'd come from. As they stepped onto the stairs, they saw Mrs. Weasley looking at them disapprovingly in her dressing robe and pajamas.

"Oh…er, hi." Harry mumbled.

Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips- Harry was instantly reminded of the time the twins had stolen the Anglia to rescue him back in Second year.

Harry and Luna trudged up the stairs, knowing that they were in trouble.

"What on earth were you thinking? Being up and about all hours of the night! Surely, if you wanted to go out, we have to ask the Headmaster's permission first-"

"I'm sick and tired of always asking him if we can go out!" Harry exclaimed. "I know it's dangerous, but Voldemort isn't going to be searching Muggle London for us!"

"And you're wearing robes!" The woman yelled.

"To the muggles, they were just costumes. Everyone was in costumes, they just assumed what we wore were costumes as well." Luna said, trying to calm the woman down. "We didn't talk to any of the strangers, and we certainly didn't do any magic-"

"YOU'RE BOTH GROUNDED!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

Harry and Luna stared at her with wide eyes. Neither of them had been grounded before, technically. When Harry had been punished before, he'd usually been locked up in his cupboard without food, or made to serve detentions. When Luna had been punished, she was usually given the silent treatment for her father a couple of days before he forgot that she was supposed to be in trouble.

"Grounded?" Luna asked, furrowing her brow. "We're not allowed to fly our brooms anyways."

Mrs. Weasley sighed, deeply. "You two are to have extra chores for a week, and instead of visiting each other in your off time, you both will be in your rooms. Luna, your art supplies will be taken away-"

Luna made a strangled noise in her throat.

"And Harry, your quidditch books and magazines will be taken away-" Harry gasped.

"And you both will not be allowed to write your friends this week. You can explain to them what happened next week."

She pointed to Harry's door, and Harry slinked towards it, head hanging.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Harry, you ought to know how dangerous it can be out there."

And that hurt worse than any other punishment Harry had gotten. Mrs. Weasley turned to Luna.

"And Luna, you ought to know better too. Now, I'm getting you both up bright and early- you'll be scrubbing the loos. By hand. First thing."

Both teens grimaced.

Mrs. Weasely gently pushed Luna towards her room. "Get some sleep you two."

* * *

Chapter Four:

Luna was watching Harry knead the bread on the kitchen table, while she sat in a chair. His sleeves were rolled up, and his hands, forearms, and the front of his apron were all dusted with flour (as well as the table of course.)

She studied his hands as they worked the dough, and wondered what they would feel like if they touched her that way. She bit her lip as he began to twist the dough into shape, braiding it into a loaf.

She glanced up, watching his face. He was concentrating fully on his work, and the intensity set on his face, and the happiness in his eyes, made her want to dance in her chair. He seemed to know that he was being watched, because his eyes met hers. Luna blushed, and looked back down to his hands.

He continued to work in silence, and she continued to watch. They had gotten sick and tired of the Order not telling them a thing, and had laced the house with sets of extendable ears that the twins were testing. They came in sets- you could listen to one through the other, so they'd left ears hidden in the cabinets and various bookshelves and knickknacks around the house. All the pairs were in Harry's or Luna's rooms. This way, they'd hear conversations going on through the house, if need be.

So far, they hadn't caught much, but they still remained vigilant. They had to do something, besides studying in this Godforsaken house.

* * *

Harry woke suddenly, startled, in the middle of the night.

"Harry, you had a nightmare. You alright?" Luna said softly. She lit the candle at his bedside table.

Harry nodded slowly, calming down. He was safe, he was here. He breathed in deep, and exhaled- his fingers loosening around the wand under his pillow.

She took his other hand, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry looked down at their joined hands. "We were at the Department of Mysteries. Sirius hadn't been the only one who'd died. Everyone…I'd imagined that everyone had gone through that veil…one by one." His voice cracked.

Luna leant forward, and hugged him. He stiffened slightly, but when she did not let go, he dropped his forehead to her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I can't lose anyone else. No one else."

Luna set her hand on the back of his head, and he closed his eyes, reveling in her touch as she stroked his hair.

"I can't promise you that you won't ever lose anyone. It's just a natural part of life. People die every day. You can't control that. You could try your best, but it's not really living- you'd run yourself ragged."

She sighed, and he felt her do it. He tilted his head slightly on her shoulder, lips brushing the crook of her neck. It was so close…so warm. His hold around her waist tightened.

"I don't want you to do that, Harry. You need to be well. How are you to be healthy if don't get enough sleep? Do you want me to make you a dreamless sleep potion?"

Harry shook his head quickly, his lips pressing to her neck a bit more insistently. She pretended not to notice. "I can't. It doesn't work." He mumbled softly.

"Oh." Was all she could say, not able to think of such things with him pressing up against her like that.

He breathed in deeply, smelling paint, flowers, and herbs. He loved that smell. His fingers inched up her shoulder, and into her hair. She sighed as his fingers ran through her hair, and she lent into him a bit further. She closed her eyes, just feeling him touch her hair was…nice.

Harry slowly lent back onto his pillows, and held onto Luna so that she went with him. She pulled her legs up onto the bed, and they laid there. It wasn't too long before her breathing deepened, and he could tell she'd fallen asleep. He smiled, turning his face into her hair, and he closed his own eyes.

He woke the next morning, and she was gone. At first he'd thought it had been a dream, but when he saw Luna that morning in the kitchen…he just somehow knew it hadn't been. She smiled at him shyly. "Sleep well?"

Harry gave her a grin in reply.

Four nights later, it was Luna that crawled into his bed in the middle of the night, with a haunted look in her eyes, curling up against him. He slid aside on his bed, drawing the covers back so she could get underneath properly.

"Nightmare?" He murmured as she wound her arms around his chest. She could only nod, and hold onto him tighter.

* * *

Harry hissed as a spell glanced his arm, dodging another spell. Remus and Tonks were dueling against him, full throttle, while Luna and Moody watched off to the sidelines. Moody was barking out instructions, while Luna's face was devoid of all emotion.

She hated to fight- to duel. She knew it was required, that the two of them had no choice but to fight. Him, because everyone expected him to, and her, because…well, she needed to. Not because anyone else expected it or anything, but because…she wouldn't be able to live with herself if Harry had gotten hurt because she hadn't been able to protect him properly.

She hated dueling, but she did it anyways.

* * *

They were sneaking out again. It was a bit cold out, so they were all bundled up as they snuck out of the House through Harry's invisibility cloak. Point-blank, he'd refused to give it up, and no one had asked him again, so they still had a means of sneaking about, if the need arose.

Harry's hand was tight around Luna's as they walked swiftly to the dance club they'd found on Halloween. They wouldn't be back until dawn, but Harry didn't care. If they got caught, he found he was caring less and less about what Mrs. Weasley would do- yeah, if they were grounded, they were stuck in the House anyways. They couldn't exactly be kicked out or anything- it was Harry's house!

He'd considered charging the Order rent, but then he'd never find anything out if they went elsewhere. And they were offering their help to him and Luna for their schooling, free of charge. He didn't exactly have another option for that. So they'd put up with it. Well, Harry did. Nothing ever seemed to bother Luna.

His hand squeezed hers as they darted around the Bouncer, and snuck towards the loos. There, Harry took off the cloak, and slipped it into his pocket. They went into the crowds, and lost themselves for a little while.

* * *

Harry was preparing the house for the holidays. He and Luna had done all of the Required exams, proctored by Tofty herself at the Ministry. It was all done, hush-hush, so it wasn't until two days later that anyone had heard about it. Their results had been posted on the front page of the Daily Prophet, much to the chagrin of Harry and Luna. They had done well, but most of the article was filled with speculations on why Harry and Luna would take their exams together; had they run away together? Had they eloped, and were expecting a love child, and that was why neither of them had gone to Hogwarts that term? They burned what Daily Prophets they could in the fireplace.

Harry, Remus, Mrs. Weasley, and Luna had all decorated the house. Luna had painted the loo on the third floor- it looked like the lake at Hogwarts, with the Giant Squid's tentacles rising up in the air from the lake water, and some of the more recognizable trees that dotted the shore of the lake. It was mostly very serene, and Harry was thankful for that. He wasn't sure if he fancied another loo with a mermaid in it.

Harry and Remus had gone out together to get their purchases- almost all of them were from the muggle world. Only a few things had been gotten from the wizarding world, and he had Remus get them for him.

Luna and he were wrapping presents one night when they heard the unmistakable sounds of Mrs. Weasley crying with delight, and Ron's crowing of "Food!" The two teens grinned at each other widely, and hid the presents under Harry's bed.

Harry grabbed Luna's hand, and tugged her down the strairs, excited to see their friends for the first time in ages.

Hermione gave Harry a big hug right off, nearly squishing the breath out of him. "Harry! You look so good! I'm so glad you're finally eating better-"

Harry blushed, and pulled away from Hermione, and Ron gave him a knowing grin. "Been driving me right mad, mate, without you around."

Hermione swat his arm, and she hugged a surprised looking Luna.

"I'm glad you're taking good care of him- I haven't seen him this happy in ages!"

It was Luna's turn to blush now.

Harry was about to hug Ginny in greeting when he noticed that she was wearing a very nice dress, and she'd done something with her hair. She saw him noticing. "Hello Harry."

"Hi Gin. You look nice." He hugged her , and then pulled away quickly. Ginny fixed Luna with a stare, and Luna gave her an inquiring look.

"Wait until you see what Mrs. Weasley and I fixed up for dinner, I tell you, wait until you see the rest of the house!" Harry said, excited as he dragged Hermione and Ron's trunks up the stair case.

Hermione unwrapped her scarf from around the neck, looking at the newly improved foyer. "It already looks much better. I can't wait to see Luna's paintings, I bet they're marvelous!"

They went to Hermione and Ginny's room, and the two girls were very happy with how it looked. Ron was a bit put out that Luna hadn't painted the walls of his bedroom yet, but both Harry and Luna had agreed that Chudley Cannons Orange would not 'suit the palate of the house'. They said, with a grin.

Ron, Ginny, and Luna went on to the kitchen to help Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley, Remus, Tonks, and Moody were already there, getting food.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm before he could follow them in.

"Harry…can I talk to you?"

Harry nodded, and the two friends hung back a bit. Hermione pulled off her gloves.

"So, I saw that you and Luna did very well on your exams. I'm very happy for you both."

Harry rolled his eyes. "How did I know you'd say that?"

Hermione hid a smile. "So…are you together yet?"

Harry's eyes went round. "What? No. We're just friends. You know the Daily Prophet is full of shi-"

"I know. But I have eyes, Harry. You like her, don't you?"

Harry sighed, looking down at his feet. "I do. I mean, I think she's gorgeous, but what would she want with a guy like me anyways?"

Hermione shook her head. "Boys. You can't see, can you?"

Harry looked at her confusedly.

Hermione looked to the kitchen, and her voice dropped. "I think you and Luna are good for each other. She's definitely changed, and so have you. You both seem…happier. Even if you don't get together, even being friends has brought out the best in you. I'm…happy for you."

Harry was given another tight hug, and she pulled away, beaming at him. "I'm famished! Let's go eat!"

After dinner, the teens settled into Harry's room. Hermione loved the artwork, and was asking Luna about how she'd painted it. Ron was flipping through some of Harry's Defense texts, while Ginny talked to Harry.

Harry thought that while Ginny looked nice, it wasn't really…nice. While he talked to her, all he could think about was Luna. He glanced towards the blonde, watching her gesticulate wildly about some creature she'd painted on Harry's wall. He couldn't help but smile.

Ginny's plastered smile turned into a frown as Harry looked at Luna. Again. He'd been looking at her off and on all through dinner too. Merlin, was she going to have to practically strip to get his attention?

She was wearing this damned uncomfortable dress (one that her Mother had clearly disapproved of at dinner tonight), and had it had taken at least an hour's worth of work on her hair to make it look nice for Harry- and he looked at Luna!

Ginny looked hatefully at the blonde. Her messy hair, the paint under her fingernails, her flat chest, her strange earrings, and her ragged clothes. What the hell did she have that Ginny didn't? Her hate turned into fury as Luna's eyes slid from Hermione, to Harry, and a smile turned on her lips.

* * *

Luna was humming to herself that night as she was dressing into her pajamas. She was very happy. The house was full of people, and she loved seeing her friends again. She pulled on her nightgown over her head, and there was a knock at the door. It wasn't like Harry's knock, which was usually just a swift two knocks, but this was three, and they landed with a thud. Not Harry.

She pulled on her dressing gown, and she answered the door. She grinned, seeing Ginny in her own pajamas. She'd gotten new ones- pretty red ones that must have made her cold, judging on how much skin they showed. Luna knew her Mother could not have bought these for her.

"Hi Ginny." Luna stepped back, letting Ginny in. "I'm so happy that you're all here again."

Ginny sat on her bed, looking thoughtful. "Was it boring without us here?" She asked with a lilting smile.

"Oh no! Harry and I have been very busy- when we're not doing our school work, I'm painting and things, and he's always helping Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, or going over paperwork…things never get boring around here."

Ginny fiddled with the lace on her nightgown. "So…what do you guys do when you're not doing those things?"

Luna thought about. "We talk. About our families, the war…pretty much anything and everything. Why?"

"So you guys don't snog?" Ginny asked quietly.

Luna shook her head. "No." She didn't say how there had been a few times that they nearly had, though. "We're just friends."

Ginny gave her a tremulous smile. "That's what I thought. I mean…you're nice looking and all, but I just…think you're a bit young for him."

Luna blinked in surprise. "Young?"

Ginny nodded, and stood, motioning to the blonde's nightgown. It had dancing unicorns on it- her favorite. "I mean, look at you. You haven't even developed yet, and you wear little girl nightgowns…why would Harry ever look at you that way?"

That hurt. Luna hadn't allowed anyone's comments to hurt her in a long time- maybe that's why it felt so bad. She turned away, frowning.

"And?"

"Well, I mean, there are many, many girls that want Harry's attention. They'd do anything to do that, you know? And…a girl for Harry has to have certain standards. She'd…need to be socially acceptable, able to stand by his side in the papers, make sure that he does what he needs to do for his work- after all, a good woman is behind every Great Man."

Luna frowned. "You're saying I couldn't do that? I can't support him when he needs me? I can't help him when he asks?"

"I mean, as a friend, sure, but…as a wife? Or a lover? You've never even been kissed! I don't think you'd be…suitable for each other-"

"So you think you're suitable for him, then?" Luna asked, incensed.

Ginny just gave her a small, coy smile. "Well, I'm a bit more grown up and experienced than you are. And I've known Harry for longer than you have. And Harry's practically been adopted into the family…it's only a matter of time…I mean, did you see the way he looked at me tonight?"

Luna swallowed, remembering Harry's comment about Ginny looking nice. For the first time, she hated her body, her clothes. She felt tears pricking her eyes.

Ginny went on. "I mean, you don't even take care of yourself! Look at the paint under your nails, and that mess you call your hair…you could be so much prettier if you tried…"

"Stop." Luna said feebly, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "Stop, stop…" She begged, turning away from her friend, wiping her tears away quickly.

"Alright. Just you see. Harry and I will be dating by the end of the hols." Ginny said knowingly, and went to the door. She opened it. "Oh! Harry!"

Luna sniffled, and tried to keep Harry from seeing her tears.

"Oh…hi Ginny. I was just going to say goodnight to Luna."

"Oh, well Goodnight Harry." Luna glanced over her shoulder to see Ginny touch his shoulder casually, and then leave the room. Her eyes met Harry's and his mouth deepened into a frown.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

She looked away, bowing her head. "It's…it's nothing."

Harry touched her elbow briefly, and she turned. He ran a hand up and down her arm. "It's _not_ nothing, if you're crying. I don't think I've ever seen you this upset before."

Luna sniffled, her eyes dropped to his chest, unable to meet his eyes.

"Harry…you don't think I dress poorly, do you?"

He blinked at her, confused. "No. Your clothes have always suited you."

Luna's fingers clenched at his shirt sleeves, and she buried her head into his shoulder. "You don't think I'm ugly?" She whispered.

"No…where are getting thoughts like that?"

Ginny. "Nowhere. I just…you said Ginny looked nice tonight. You never tell me that."

Harry's arms wrapped around her loosely. "Luna…you always look nice. I just figured you didn't have to hear it, to know it. You always seemed so happy with the way you look- you never fuss in the mirror like Ginny or Hermione do sometimes."

Luna finally looked up at him, feeling a bit better. "Maybe… you can just remind me sometimes?"

Harry gave her a gentle smile. "Yeah." He hugged her. "You look pretty, Luna. Don't worry about what other people think of you. You never have before." He whispered. She sighed, relishing his hug.

"Thank you Harry."

He pulled away. "Well, Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Luna gave him a jerky nod, and he returned it with a slight smile.

* * *

A much happier Luna bounced down the stairs that morning, eager to get Ginny's comments out of her head. She met Hermione on the stairs, and the two girls walked together to the kitchen.

"This place looks amazing. You put a lot of hard work into it."

"Well, so did Harry and Mrs. Weasley. We're still not finished yet."

Hermione smiled at Luna, and Luna wondered if Hermione thought the same about her, that Ginny did. "Hermione…do you think of me as just a…kid?" She asked quietly.

Hermione blinked in surprise. "No. Not at all. After all, you fought right with us at the Department of Mysteries. I don't think I've ever thought of you as a…kid. I mean, I think you're more insightful and mature than other girls I know."

Luna gave her a slight smile. "So…if there was a boy…an older boy…he wouldn't think of me as a kid either?"

Hermione gave her a glance over. "Well…you have a certain sort of charm that could appeal to certain guys. Luna, you shouldn't worry about that. Just be who you are."

The two girls went into the kitchen, and found Harry making pancakes. Luna grinned as she saw the blueberries in the batter.

"You put blueberries in!"

"Your favorite. I'm going to add chocolate for Mrs. Weasley's, do you think she'll like it?"

Luna nodded, and Harry swiped his flour-y hand playfully on her sleeve. She didn't care. "How is the prettiest girl in the house feeling today?"

Luna blushed, her smile widening. "I'm fantastic, now that I know you're making blueberry pancakes."

"Hey, what about me?" Hermione asked with a grin, pretending to be affronted.

Harry smiled at her playfully. "Alright, two of the prettiest girls. Hermione, do you want blueberries too?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful Harry. I missed your cooking, you know."

Harry scoffed. "The House Elves are fantastic, you shouldn't-"

Hermione made a face. "It's the same thing, same tastes- there isn't variation in what they do from day to day. Making it by hand has a completely different taste."

Breakfast commenced, and the girls helped Harry set the table. Everything was finished by the time the others had come down to breakfast. Ron chowed down immediately, and Mrs. Weasley tucked into her own food happily, very much appreciative of Harry's cooking.

Mr. Weasley had to go to work, so he left, and Mrs. Weasley said she had to go do a bit of shopping. The kids were left on their own, and they separated through the house. Hermione ensconced herself in the library, while Luna worked in her room on a couple of Christmas presents.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny talked about the Quidditch team's scores for that year. As the day progressed, Harry noted that a lot more mistletoe was strewn about- they kept popping up. Luckily, Harry was able to bypass those. Ginny had been teasing and, if he didn't know any better, flirting with him all day. He was a bit uncomfortable with that- he didn't like girls being so forward with him.

Harry went to Luna's room to hide out. He watched her wrap Christmas gifts for a bit, and they both came down the stairs together to go to the library around lunch time, to see what Hermione was up to.

Ginny was waiting at the foot of the stairs, and she greeted Harry brightly. "Hey Harry, you thinking about starting lunch soon?"

Harry paused on the last step. "Oh, well, I was thinking something quick, like sandwiches." He could feel Luna pause on the step behind him.

He saw Ginny's eyes flick up, and she moved forward slightly. "Oh, look!"

Harry looked up, and saw Mistletoe. He was forcibly reminded of his first kiss with Cho Chang. He grimaced, pulling away from Ginny, bumping into Luna. He turned his back to Ginny, and met Luna's gaze. For a moment, he considered kissing her. Their eyes met, and Harry saw…a flicker of sadness there.

"Mistletoe." Harry said, attempting to joke. "No thanks, reminds me of Cho." He made a face, and grabbed Luna's hand. She looked up at him curiously, and he tugged her up the stairs.

"Harry?" She asked, and Harry shook his head, and they went up the stairs.

"Ginny's been putting mistletoe around the house." Harry said with a frown, turning on the landing, Luna stumbled slightly on a step as they continued to go upward.

"Oh. So…that's what she meant." Luna said softly.

Harry looked at her. "What?"

Luna blushed. "She said that you and her would be going out by the end of the hols. Apparently she wanted to…seduce you, somehow."

Harry raised a brow, and he headed to his room. "Seduce me? I'm not interested in her. Never have been. Yeah, she's pretty and all, but she's like a sister. Like Hermione."

"Am I like a sister?" Luna asked softly.

Harry turned in his doorway, and Luna's hand fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater. Her eyes looked down, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Harry stared at her. Could…Luna like him?

"Luna…" He said softly, and her eyes flicked up. He stepped towards her, and her eyes widened as he reached for her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to KISS her. He wanted to hold her, and touch her, and kiss her.

His hand went to her cheek, cupping it. His other arm wrapped around her loosely, and he started to lower his head, eyes flicking down to her pretty lips…he tilted his head slightly… her eyes started to close as she tilted her head up…

"KIDS! I'm Back!" Mrs. Weasley greeted in the foyer.

The two teens jumped apart in surprise. Harry stared at Luna, who was staring right back at him. Luna turned sharply on her heel, and scampered down the stairs. Harry sagged against the wall, sliding a hand through his hair.

Luna's heart was thumping madly in her chest as she went down the stairs, and shut herself up in the downstairs loo. She back up against the door, after she closed it. She looked heavenward.

That had been close. Harry had been about to kiss her. Her fingers went to her mouth, brushing her lips- sparks went through her at the touch. She glanced at the mirror, at herself, and saw her pinked cheeks, and dazed looking eyes.

She touched her lips again, closing her eyes. "Harry…" She whispered, hoping that wasn't the last opportunity they would have for a kiss

* * *

Christmas Eve was fun. Many of the Order members were gathered in the house, raucously singing carols and telling stories. Even Charlie and Bill had come for the holidays. Bill had brought along Fluer Delacour, his finacee and coworker. They were to be married that summer, much to the dismay of Mrs. Weasley.

Harry watched from the sidelines, thinking about Christmas the year before. He missed Sirius, who had sung the loudest last year, and who had drank the most too…but the year hadn't been entirely bad. The twins were handing out prank treats and gadgets to the holiday guests, and Harry was glad he'd invested in them. They were making quite a bit of money, and in turn, making Harry money too.

He glanced at Luna, who was sipping some butterbeer in her corner, talking with an exuberant Hagrid. She glanced at him, and promptly blushed.

She had been doing that for the past three days.

Since the 'Incident'. Since their almost-kiss.

He _was_ going to kiss her. He just didn't know when. He and Luna hadn't been alone since that day, and bygone, he was going to get that kiss. Tonight, he promised himself. Tonight, he would kiss Luna.

He headed up the stairs, excusing himself for the night. He went up to his room, and he pulled out a package from under his bed. It was Luna's present. Well, one of several from him. But this one he wanted to give to her tonight, when they were alone.

There was a knock on his door, and he smiled. "Come in."

Ginny came in. He'd been expecting Luna. He looked away, fiddling with the ribbon on the package.

"Hi Ginny."

"Hi Harry." Ginny said with a slight smile. "So…having a good holiday so far?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Pretty good. I miss Sirius, though." Harry mumbled.

Ginny didn't know what to say to that. She walked over, eyeing Luna's handiwork on Harry's walls.

"Well…things are different this year."

Harry sighed.

"I broke up with Dean Thomas."

Harry glanced at her.

"I told him I was interested in someone else."

Harry didn't like the look in her eyes."However I don't know if he's interested in me." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Ginny…I don't like you like that. I'm sorry."

Ginny stepped back a little. "I know you're worried about the wa-"

"Not everything is about the war, Ginny. Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

"But-"

"Ginny, I'm tired."

The girl's face twisted, and she bolted to the door, and slammed it open. She stomped out of the room, throwing Harry a glare on the way out. "If you think I'm going to wait for you, you've got another thing coming." She hissed, and slammed the door closed.

Harry looked down at the package on the floor, and he fiddled with the ribbon a bit more, straightening it. He stood, and dressed into his pajamas. The din downstairs was quieting, signaling that people were heading out. Harry began to hear Hermione and Ginny bickering in the hallway. He slid the package back under the bed when it was obvious Luna wasn't going to come by tonight- she often did, to wish him Goodnight, but it seemed like she wasn't tonight. Again. He'd been hoping that she would, since it was Christmas.

He lit his bedside candle, after turning off the lamps. He'd just slipped into bed when there was a quiet knock at his door. Luna. She opened it a crack, and he waved her in. She shut the door behind her quietly, looking pensive.

"Hi." Harry said quietly, as she crawled onto the bed. He realized he could have gotten up, but apparently she was content to sit in the bed with him. She pulled out a small package from her dressing robe.

"I wanted to give this to you. Without the others snooping about."

Harry accepted the gift with a grin. "Check under the bed. The blue box is yours."

Luna twisted off the edge of the bed, and popped right back up, bearing his gift. They opened it with matching smiles.

Harry eyed the sketchbook in his hands, flipping through some of the pages. "You gave me your sketchbook."

Luna gave him a small smile. "I'm getting a new one from Hermione anyways. She accidentally let it slip. I thought you might like some of my drawings. Um…many of them are of you."

Harry motioned for her to open her gift. Her eyes widened, finger tracing the soft bristles of a pretty set of hair brushes and combs. They were a pearly shell color, and there was a matching set of barrettes, a hair clip, and a headband. It all came in a neat little case, a cream colored leather outside, and a white felt inside, with slots to hold everything in.

"Remus helped me get it. We got it in the muggle world, from an antique shop. Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful, Harry." Luna said tremulously. "It's the nicest thing I've ever owned. I'll…I'll take good care of it."

Harry watched her touch the brush carefully. "Want to try it out?"

"Now?"

Harry nodded, and picked up the brush. He set the box on the night table, and motioned for her to turn around. Luna did just that, looking at him curiously. She raised a brow as he began to brush her hair tentatively.

Luna was in heaven. The strokes of the brush felt so nice- Harry was so careful too. She sighed happily, and felt him brush her hair a bit more. His strokes grew a bit firmer, and she melted, closing her eyes. She barely noticed as he moved to sit beside her, so that he could watch her face. He moved a bit closer, brushing the ends, tugging gently. He licked his lips as she tilted her head back, following the tug.

He wrapped her locks around his hand, and tugged once more. She breathed in sharply, and her eyes opened. She looked at him, and he smiled.

"Just wanted to see if you were awake." He said quietly. "It's late. I was thinking we could get an early start in the morning."

"Oh." Luna said, looking longingly at the brush in Harry's hand. He set the brush back in the box, and he slid his feet back under the covers. He scooted to the side, and gave her a smile. "Want to stay for a while, and chat?" He pat the bed next to him, feeling nervous.

He knew Luna was too nice of a girl to do anything, but he wouldn't mind just…sleeping with her. If a kiss goodnight worked into that too, he wouldn't complain.

Luna bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "Okay. But I'll have to be up early- would throw a conniption fit."

Harry leant over, and doused the candlelight, and he felt her get off of the bed. He heard some rustling, and then she got back into bed. He laid down, and turned to face her. She stared up at the ceiling, feeling…restless.

"Did you like your Christmas eve?" She asked quietly, sliding her wand under her pillow, like Harry had his- he'd shown her a while ago that he always did that, and she thought it was a good idea. Best be prepared for anything.

"Yeah, for the most part. I missed Sirius." Harry admitted.

Luna turned to face him. He could barely make out her eyes in the darkness. His vision was still adjusting. She slowly moved closer to him, wrapping her arm around his middle. He wrapped his arm around her, and adjusted his other arm, so that it slipped under her neck. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they laid like that for a bit.

Harry felt a bare foot next to his, and he had the most peculiar realization. He was in bed with a girl. He was in bed with Luna- and not for the first time.

However, it was the first time that they'd done this, when they hadn't had a nightmare.

That made things feel quite different.

He couldn't help but smile, tightening his arm around her. Her big toe stroked the arch of his foot, making him shiver slightly, but not from the cold- no, she was so nice and warm. He ran a hand down her side, and he realized that she'd taken off her dressing gown, and she was just in her nightgown- it had ridden up slightly around her knees.

He wished he could see her in her nightgown. She was always wrapped up in her dressing gown, before.

"Good night Harry. Sleep well." Luna mumbled into his neck. He bit the inside of his cheek, to keep himself from reacting to those soft lips and breath against his skin. He felt her eyelashes move as well, as she closed them to fall asleep. God, why did he put himself through this?

He tried to keep still, and listened to her breathing, feeling her chest rise and fall against his, feeling it evening out with sleep. He pulled his hand up from the covers, and he brushed his thumb against her cheek. He moved forward just slightly, pressing his lips to her brow, cupping her cheek.

"Good night, Luna."

* * *

The next morning, the two teens woke to a bird tapping at the window. They both bolted up at once, and Luna gasped as she saw the bird at the window.

"It's Daddy's Owl!" She exclaimed, and threw back the covers. She stumbled slightly as she got out of the bed in her excitement, throwing Harry's pillows and their wands to the floor. Harry picked the wands up quickly, rolling his eyes. Harry opened the window for her, watching her untie the letter from the bird's leg…it looked rather ruffled and irritated…it was squawking and…as Luna touched the letter, Harry grew alarmed, and grabbed her by the arm, just as the letter glowed gold.

They disappeared in moments.

Harry grabbed Luna with both arms, dropping to a roll. Luna tucked herself into the roll, and they stopped, Harry deftly slipped her her wand, and instantly both of them were on alert.

They heard high pitched laughter, which set off other chuckles and cackles.

"Why, my dear Bella, I do believe you owe me 5 Galleons."

Harry and Luna stared at the scene around them- they were surrounded by Deatheaters, and Voldemort. No way out. Bella dropped five golden coins into her Master's hand with a simpering smile.

"I thought Potty would have learned his lesson, last time." The woman said sweetly.

Two deatheaters threw an injured, emaciated man into the circle, and Luna gasped, going to his side. "Daddy!" She exclaimed.

Harry's grip tightened on his wand. He could tell that the man wasn't going to make it. Not unless a miracle happened. The man spoke quietly to her as she gathered him up in her arms.

"Imagine our surprise when our two most wanted teens was found to be taking their exams together." Voldemort drawled. "Potter, and the daughter of a trashy tabloid editor. Could you sink no lower? Oh yes,…and she's a Blood traitor too."

"Fuck you, Voldemort." Harry growled. He knew if he cast any spells now, he'd be shot down with an AK. He glanced around, looking for exits. If there were any, he didn't see them. There was nothing in the room besides the other Deatheaters, and a throne like chair.

"No, I think we shall leave the Fucking to your dirty little whore of a girlfriend." Two deatheaters came forward and grabbed Luna by the arms, pulling her away from her Father.

"No!" Harry cried, and a wand was pressed into his neck. Bellatrix. He stayed still as Luna kicked and punched, trying to get loosened from the men's grip.

"Tell you what, Mr. Potter…let's make a deal." Voldemort began. "Your life…for the girl's virtue…that is, if she still has it…" Voldemort tilted his head, ruby eyes boring into Harry's.

"Stop it!" Luna yelled, struggling against her human bonds. "Harry, don't listen to him!" She was slapped, and Harry stepped forward.

"Mr. Potter, make your choice."

Harry looked to Luna. She was shaking her head no, pleading with him silently not to do this…

He couldn't. It was likely Voldemort would kill her anyways. But what could he do? He had to save her somehow.

He lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Okay."

Luna was dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and Voldemort cackled with glee.

"Your weakness, Mr. Potter, is my gain!" The man crowed, and fixed his wand on Harry. "Say goodbye to your lovely little friend."

Their eyes met, and Luna leant up on her elbow, hair slipping over her shoulder. He could see her wand poking out, slightly hidden from the other's point of view, and she was ready.

"AVEDA KED-"

Harry dodged to the side, and instantaneously, curses were fired. He ducked, as Luna cast Protego on him. He slid to Luna's side, and helped her up, and they worked together to block curses, while casting offensive spells. They barely managed to get to Mr. Lovegood, who was breathing shallowly. Harry put up a heavy block as Luna began to get her Father up on his feet.

He was terribly weak. He clutched to the girl like a lifeline. "Luna…you can't…you must leave…" He breathed.

"I can't leave you!" Luna cried.

Harry grunted as a particularly strong spell hit his block. It wouldn't stand for too much longer. His eyes spotted Snape, who was deftly making their way, his hand slipping into his robes.

Harry grunted again as his block was hit with a barrage of spells. A spell from Bellatrix's wand cut diagonally into the block, catching him on his arm, Luna right through the abdomen, and her Father right through the chest.

Mr. Lovegood fell to the ground, choking on his own blood, while Luna fell after him, holding her middle in pain. Harry, furious, flicked his wand at the evil woman, blasting her into the wall.

He and Voldemort began to duel, and Harry twisted them around- Voldemort slipped, of all things, on Mr. Lovegood's blood, and he fell to the ground. His wand fell from his fingertips, right in front of Luna.

Luna grabbed it with a shaking hand, and tossed it to Harry. Harry pointed both wands at Voldemort, and uttered a curse he'd never thought he'd ever say.

"Aveda Kedavra." He hissed, and watched the green light shoot from Voldemort's wand.

He would never forget Voldemort's ruby red eyes staring up at him- lifeless, and the evil smile curled up on the man's lips. Mocking him, even in death. He looked away quickly, wanting to leave.

The man's followers fled, but he barely noticed. He barely noticed Snape cursing Bellatrix and binding her, as she was about to attack Harry- he barely noticed Mr. Lovegood's shortening breaths- all he had eyes for was Luna, whose nightgown was becoming soaked in her blood from the waist down, her hands and arms becoming coated with it as she tried to heal her Father.

He hurried to her side, as she cried over her Father.

"Luna…we have to go…you're hurt."

Snape thrust the portkey at them, and motioned for Luna to put her Father's hand on it as well.

"Portus." He said quietly.

The group landed hard on the wood floor of the sitting room in Grimmauld place. It was full of frantic looking people in their nightclothes. Later, Harry would never quite place what happened after that. He remembered cheering, and crying, and feeling pain…and blacking out.

When he came to, he was alone in his room, with a bandage on his arm. Remus was at his bedside, asleep.

"Remus?"

Remus sat up, instantly alert. "Harry! Merlin…you're awake."

Harry sat up slowly. "Is…is Luna alright? Where is she? Is her Father okay?"

Remus looked grim, and Harry leant forward. "Remus…tell me."

"Luna is sedated right now…she's injured, but she'll be okay." Remus said quietly. Harry drew back his covers. "I want to see her."

Remus helped him up, and guided him to Luna's room. He walked in, and saw the girl asleep in her bed. She was wearing a clean nightgown, and it didn't look as though anything was wrong with her.

Mrs. Weasley hugged him tight when she saw him. "Dear, you shouldn't be out of bed…"

"I had to see her. I had to see if she was okay. Where's her Father?"

"In the next room." Mrs. Weasley said with a sad smile. "Madam Pomfrey said he's got a long recovery ahead of him, but she thinks he'll pull through."

Harry sat on the edge of her bed, and took her hand into his. He didn't care if the others saw him. "How was she injured? She'll be alright, won't she?"

"The girl will be fine." Snape said from the doorway.

Harry turned to look at the man in surprise. "Sir…"

Snape ignored him, and set several vials on the girl's bedside. "I suggest, Mr. Potter, that you should thank your lucky stars that I was there this morning. Miss Lovegood would be dead right now. Not to mention yourself."

"…thank you." Harry murmured quietly.

Snape turned on his heel, and left the room.

* * *

Harry stayed at Luna's side while she slept. He'd never really been religious before, but he prayed and prayed that she get better. Three days, she'd been asleep, healing from her injuries. The cutting curse to her stomach had done a good amount of damage- she'd lost a lot of blood, and there was internal damage too, but the healer was being a bit vague about it all, not that Harry would understand everything. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey was good at keeping blood replenishing potions about, and was quick with a wand.

In the next room over, Luna's dad was asleep. It was actually Ginny and Hermoine's 'room', but the two girls were okay with giving up their room to Mr. Lovegood- everyone wanted the two Lovegoods together. Harry was helping Madam Pomfrey when he wasn't watching over Luna.

His friends were in back and forth- apparently the days were filled with parties, and everyone was exuberantly happy about Harry killing Voldemort- they were calling him the Man-Who-Lived. Harry instantly hated it. It was just another title, to add to his growing list of titles.

Just last week, they'd been making him out to be a runaway and a coward. He hated this. Of course, the papers made no mention of him using the Killing curse. He wondered if the Ministry would ever figure out that Harry used the killing curse...if they'd use that to put him in Azkaban or something. No...he hoped that would not happen. He'd told Dumbledore the details, and only Dumbledore. Snape knew, obviously, but he knew both men wouldn't tell anyone else that Harry had used the killing curse. Well, there was the Deatheaters that had gotten away- but they weren't about to confess. He had no idea how anyone else would react.

Ron, Ginny and Hermione came into the room, Hermione holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Hermione, get that Daily Prophet out of here- I'm in no mood to listen to their crap." Harry said flatly, adjusting Luna's blankets.

"You're to be given an Order of Merlin, first class!" Ron said with a grin. "The last wizard that has gotten that alive was Dumbledore!"

Harry went to Luna's window, and opened it a crack, letting a slight breeze in. "That's nice."

"Harry, this is a huge honor! They're going to be hosting a huge gala for you at the Ministry tomorrow night-"

Harry frowned. "I'm not going." He sat at Luna's side, in his chair. He took her hand into his.

"Harry, she's fine! She'll wake up soon-" Ginny started to protest, and Harry frowned.

"Yes, and I want to be there when she does wake up. I'm not going. Someone can go in my place."

Ron brightened at this, and Harry smiled at his friend. "Ron, Hermoine, you two can accept the award for me, if you like. Just tell those stupid reporters 'no comment' about anything to do with Luna or Voldemort."

"Of course Harry." Hermoine said, and squeezed his shoulder. "We'll let the others know."

"Hey mate, you know we've only got a week left before we go back to Hogwarts. What's going to happen, then?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, still staring down at the sleeping Luna.

"I mean, isn't the Order going to clear out soon?"

Harry stared up at Ron. Of course, the Order would leave...now that Voldemort was gone. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

He looked back down at Luna. "If they are, they haven't talked to me about it." He really needed to figure out what was going to happen. He didn't mind people leaving, but at the same time...he didn't want to be alone, either. His hand squeezed Luna's. Would Luna and her Father return to her house after they woke up?

His friends were silent. Luna shifted in her bed, silvery eyes waking up. "Oh..hullo." She greeted the others. Harry gaped, and moved forward to sit on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling, Luna?" Hermione asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt as much." Luna said, tilting her head. "Harry, you're okay?" Harry nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak. He felt as though he was going to cry.

"How's Daddy?"

"Asleep. Madam Pomfrey said he'll pull through." Harry said quietly, squeezing her hand. Luna looked relieved, and made to sit up. She grimaced, touching her hand to her abdomen. Harry helped her sit up, slowly.

Ginny handed the blonde the Daily Prophet. Luna read through it, and then looked to Harry. "Are you going?"

"No."

"Okay." She looked to Harry's friends. "Perhaps one of your friends can accept the award in your stead."

"Hermione and Ron will go for me." Harry said "I don't think I could stand being around all those people. And…and I want to be here…"

Hermoine motioned to the others quietly, and the three of them left the room, leaving Harry and Luna alone for a moment.

"Harry, hand me my robe."

Harry grabbed it, frowning. "Luna, you really shouldn't be out of bed yet-"

"I want to see my Father. I promise I won't exert myself, okay?"

Harry nodded, and began to usher his friends out of her room. He saw that she was struggling with her robe, and helped her with it. She was unsteady on her feet as she stood, and he wrapped an arm around her middle.

"I'm so happy you're going to be okay." He hugged her gently. Luna hummed, and tilted her head up. Harry bent down, and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I was so worried about you." He said quietly. Luna buried her head in his shoulder. She tilted her head up again, and Harry ran a hand through her hair.

Harry bent down again, and kissed her cheek. He was about to pull away, but he noticed that Luna hadn't- like she wanted more. He kissed her lips, and then pulled away. It was just the lightest of touches- he felt like he had almost imagined it. He'd never imagined his first kiss with Luna would be so...sober. He wanted to do more, but...

"Let's go see your Father." He said quietly. He helped her into her Father's room, where he laid asleep on the bed. Luna instantly sat by his side, and took his hand. Harry sat with her, feeling a bit awkward, like he was intruding. They sat for a bit, and then Harry stood, kissed her on the top of her head, and left the two of them alone.

He came by at lunchtime, with soup and a sandwich. He poked his head in, and smiled as he heard Luna talking to her sleeping Father about her time with Harry.

"Luna? I brought some lunch up for you." Harry said quietly. Luna gave him the smallest of smiles.

"Thank you Harry." He watched her pick at her lunch. He felt awkward- what was he supposed to say?

"Oh…wait a second!" Harry came back in a few minutes, he had a stack of packages in his arms. "These are your Christmas presents. Everybody, except for us opened theirs already. I think Remus made you some more paint, if you want to open that one first."

Luna smiled at the presents. "Why don't you get yours, and we can open ours together?"

That evening, Hermione and Ginny had been chosen to get Luna back into her own room, so the girl could get some and Hermoine eyed the packages.

Luna smiled. "Harry and I opened our Christmas presents! We had lots of fun. Don't you think Daddy enjoyed himself, Harry?"

Hermione noted that it seemed natural for Luna to say 'us', and 'we', and everyone knew she implied her and Harry. Harry did it too.

"The Headmaster is here, Harry. He wants to talk to you." Hermoine said quietly as they helped Luna to her room.

Harry sighed, and helped the girl into her bed. He pulled up her blankets around her. "Could you have him come up?"

"Of course, Harry." Hermoine said, and started to leave. She gave a pointed look to Ginny, who sighed, and followed the other girl. Harry sat on the edge of Luna's bed, and kissed her forehead.

"I hope you feel better soon. Will you be okay?"

Luna nodded, giving him the smallest of smiles. "You're here, and Daddy's going to be okay. I'll be just fine."

Harry squeezed her hand. There was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." Harry called out.

Dumbledore came into the room, twinkling benignly. "Harry, somehow I knew you'd still be here. Miss Lovegood, I hope you are feeling better."

Luna nodded. "I am, thank you sir."

Dumbledore conjured a fluffy chair, and sat in it. "Well, I wanted to speak to you Harry, about the ceremony tomorrow."

"I'm not going." Harry said flatly.

Dumbledore sighed. "I understand your reasoning, my boy, but it's a very big honor. I know Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley would be happy to go in your stead, but it will still be frowned upon."

"I don't want to go. I'm...I'm needed here."

Luna sat up slowly in her bed. "I'll be fine Harry. So will Daddy. Go to the ceremony. You can come back and tell me all about it."

Harry looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure?"

She gave him a small nod. "Yes. Go. Not many get this opportunity."

"But...I...I wish you could go with me." Harry said sadly.

"So do I, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be a very good date. I'm a horrible dancer."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm not much of a dancer myself. Okay, well...you've convinced me. I'll go. But I'll come back as soon as I can, so I can tell you all about it."

Luna gave him one of her smiles, and Harry looked to the Headmaster. The man looked slightly amused, for some reason.

"So, I'll arrange for Molly to go out and get you some robes in the morning. I daresay your robes from the Yule Ball will be far too small. Let's leave Miss Lovegood to her rest, shall we?" Harry stood, and the Headmaster vanished his chair.

"Good night Luna." Harry said with a slight smile, following the Headmaster out of the room. In the hallway, the man spoke.

"I'm sure you're wondering what will happen with the Order. We are disbanding within the week- and we will obviously no longer use this house as HQ."

"Okay." Harry said cautiously.

"We had a bit of money saved up in the budget, and I would like to give part of it to you, for taking our little group in."

"Sir, I-"

"You need the money. And you could have charged us rent for the space, but you didn't. Now, the Lovegoods both have a long recovery ahead of them. Mr. Lovegood may want to be transferred to St. Mungo's when he awakes, or he may want to go back to his home."

"And Luna?"

The Headmaster gave him a sad smile. "Will undoubtedly want to go with her Father. Perhaps they may choose to stay, but that is for the Lovegoods to decide."

Harry looked down at his feet. He didn't want Luna to leave. But he wouldn't blame her for going with her Father.

"Harry...the Lovegoods have been through a trying time. It would be best to leave them be, so that they can recover." The Headmaster said carefully.

"I know." Harry turned to his door. "Goodnight, sir."

"Goodnight, Harry."

* * *

Harry woke to a headache the next morning, and everyone in the house seemed to be far too loud for his liking. He woke to a bag of gold on his desk,with a small note in the Headmaster's loopy handwriting.

_Thank you for your generosity. _

He put the bag into his trunk, so he could count it later. He had mixed feelings about the money. He knew that he would need it, especially considering that the Order wouldn't be contributing to the food bill for groceries and things in a very short time. He sighed. Part of him wanted to get his own clothes for the ceremony. He couldn't possibly go into the magical world, however, because he'd be mobbed.

He glanced out the window, and smiled. He could go to the muggle world. He went to Luna's room, to see if she was awake. She was, sitting up in her bed, sipping her tea. She was rather pale and drawn looking in the morning light.

"Good morning Harry."

"Morning Luna. Sleep well?"

She made a slight face. "Not really."

"I was going to go to the muggle world today, to pick up a few things. Did you want anything?"

Luna shrugged, looking down at her tea. Harry could tell something...was off."Are you okay?"

She looked away, hands tightening on her teacup. "I'm okay. Um...you don't need to get me anything Harry. When will you be back?" Her voice was tight- totally unlike the Luna he knew. What was wrong? Harry frowned.

"I'm hoping around lunchtime. I wish you could go with me, I was going to choose some clothes for the ceremony this evening...I'm rather hopeless when it comes to clothes shopping."

"I like your clothes."

Harry moved forward to kiss the top of her head, but she moved away from him slightly. Harry pulled away, frowning. "I'll be back later." He left her room, and as he closed the door, he could hear her sniffle. He paused, listening to her hiccups and sobs, wanting to go back inside, but stopped himself. She obviously didn't want to tell him what was going on, yet. He sighed, and went back to his room to get ready for the day. She would tell him eventually, right?

* * *

He left the house while everyone was at breakfast. He didn't want anyone yelling at him for leaving- Voldemort was gone now, and he felt as though he shouldn't be confined to the house anymore. It was snowing, so he made sure to bundle up properly. He walked to the shopping district where he and his friends had gone before to shop. It mostly had antique shops and second hand stores. A couple of them were closed on account of the cold weather, but he managed to find one of the second-hand stores were open. He entered the shop, which seemed to be deserted.

"Hello?" He called out, glancing around for the clothing section.

An old lady came from the back room, looking at Harry expectantly. "Can I help you, young man?"

Harry nodded. "I have a special event to go to tonight, and I need to find something to wear. I was just wondering if you had anything like that."

The woman raised a brow. "Well, most of the clothing we carry are women's clothing, but we have a small amount of men's clothes." She led him to a section near the back of the shop. Harry thumbed through some of the suits. Most of them were a bit large looking, and it wasn't Harry's style. His eye caught on a dark blue blazer that seemed to have been hidden behind a particularly horrendous suit. He pulled the jacket out, noting the gold buttons.

"Oh, that looks like it would fit." The woman said with a smile. "That's a genuine Royal Navy jacket, from the sixties." He took off his coat, and pulled on the jacket. It was nice and warm, and the insides were lined with a navy colored silk.

"What could I put with this?"

The old lady helped him choose a pair of pants, and a button down shirt to go with the blazer. As he was going through some ties on the counter, he spotted a necklace through the glass case. It was a string of pale pink pearls. The lady saw him looking, and smiled.

"Something for your girlfriend?"

Harry blushed. "Uhm, could I take a look at the necklace, please?"

She took it out for him, and he held it carefully in his hands. Luna would look very pretty in it. "Genuine pearls, all natural, none of that synthetic stuff in this store!"

He glanced at the tag. "They're very nice." He paused. "Could you put it aside? Until..."

"Of course, dear." She said with a slight smile. She took out a paper. "Just give me your contact information." She handed him the pen and paper, and he wrote his name down, but he couldn't write his address, because muggles couldn't see the place. And he couldn't give a phone number, because he didn't have one.

"Um...well, I don't want her finding out about the necklace just yet. I'll come by when I've got enough money. How long do you think you could set it aside for me?"

The woman gave him a considering look. "A month?"

Harry nodded. "Okay. Thank you." He glanced at the ties, and thought better of it. "I'll just go with what I have. Thank you for helping me."

* * *

As Harry walked back to Grimmauld place with his purchases, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as he saw Luna walking towards him. She was all bundled up, thankfully, but she didn't look well at all.

"Luna, what are you doing out here? You're supposed to be resting." He took her by the arm, and walked her back to Grimmauld Place.

"You're in trouble. Mrs. Weasley realized you weren't in the house. All the Order members are terribly upset. I had to warn you." She said quietly.

Harry sighed, and let the girl in. He closed the door behind him, and Mrs. Weasley swooped into the foyer. His friends were on the staircase, looking a bit nervous.

"Where have you been? You've been gone all morning-"

"I went shopping, for something to wear, for tonight." Harry said, helping Luna up the stairs.

"And Luna, what were you doing, out in the snow-"

"I was looking for Harry." Luna said in a small voice.

Mrs. Weasley's voice carried up the stairs, but Harry ignored her. Luna followed him into his room. He dropped his bags onto the floor, while Luna sat on his bed. He helped her out of her coat and scarf. He was taken aback when he realized that she was wearing her pajamas under her coat.

"You shouldn't have done that. You're going to get into trouble too."

Luna shrugged, watching Harry hook her jacket and scarf over his bedpost. He knelt down, and helped her out of her boots, since she couldn't bend down to take them off. She had just slipped into them, since she couldn't tie them up, and she didn't have any socks on. Harry rubbed her icy feet, shaking his head.

He took his own shoes off, and sat on the bed with her. "You can't do that Luna- you're still not well. I don't want you getting sick on top of all this, okay?" Luna nodded, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"What did you get?" Luna asked, fiddling with the hem of his shirt sleeve.

"A jacket, pants, and a shirt. I was going to get a tie, but I changed my mind."

Luna gave him a small smile. "Everyone will probably be expecting you to be wearing robes."

"I don't care much for robes." He sighed, and touched her stomach gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold."

He chuckled, and brought her legs up into his lap. He rubbed her feet. "That's what you get for going out in the snow without your socks." She laid her head on his shoulder, and sighed.

"Daddy woke up this morning."

"He did?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just for a little while. He was happy that I was...alright. We talked for a bit, and then he went back to sleep. Afterwards, I went to go find you."

Harry eased her out of his arms, and got up. "Want to see what I bought?"

She nodded, scooting back so that she was propped up by his pillows. He pulled out the shirt and pants, and then the jacket.

"You'll look very nice." Luna said sadly. "I wish I could go."

Harry hung his jacket up. He wished she could go too.

"Could you try it on for me? The shirt and everything?" Luna asked.

"Sure." He picked up his things, and made to go to the loo, but Luna spoke up shyly. "You don't have to leave."

Harry raised a brow, and set his things down. He pulled his sweater off over his head, ruffling up his hair. He threw the sweater to the floor, and kept his eyes on her as he unbuttoned his shirt. Luna was very still as he dropped his shirt to the floor. Part of him felt very nervous as he undressed in front of her, but another part of him didn't feel nervous at all. The look in Luna's eyes made him realize that she liked what she saw. He pulled on his new shirt, but he left it unbuttoned as he dropped his pants. He couldn't meet her eyes as he pulled on his new pants.

"Those are nice."

Harry buttoned up his shirt, and turned for her. She giggled, and he sat on the end of his bed. His set his hand on her foot, and she wiggled her toes.

"I'm sure you'll look very dashing for tonight. All the girls will want to dance with you."

Harry made a face. "I'm not really into dancing all that much." He looked down. "Anyways, the girl that I would want to dance with won't be there."

Luna's eyes went wide, and she looked down at her lap. Her face began to look a bit funny. She sniffled. "Harry..."

He leant forward, and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you sure you want me to go?"

She nodded. "Go. I'll be fine."

* * *

That night, he returned to Grimmauld Place in a bad mood. He went to his room, and dropped his plaque on his desk. He kicked off his shoes, and pulled his jacket and shirt off. He lit the candle on his bedside table, and jumped as he saw Luna sleeping in his bed, with a Charms book in her arms. Just like that, his bad mood disappeared. He eased the book out of her arms, and set it on the table. He pulled on his pajamas, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Luna?" He touched her shoulder.

She sighed, moving into his touch. "Hmm."

"It's late."

She blinked sleepily at him. "Tell me about the party."

He drew back the covers, and helped her get under them. He slipped into the bed with her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It was pretty shitty. I mean, the food was pretty good, and I saw Neville and a couple of our friends, but other than that...there were loads of reporters there, and all the Ministry officials wanted to talk to me." He sighed, and leant over to blow out the candle.

"About what?"

The candlelight was blown out, and the room fell into darkness. Harry turned back to Luna, and held her gently against his chest. "Well, they wanted to know how I did it. How I killed him. Then they wanted to know why I hadn't gone to Hogwarts this year. Then they wanted to know how you were involved in it all...so many questions." He kissed her hair, and she snuggled into his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're home." Luna whispered. Harry felt his chest constrict when she said that. He felt...unbelievably happy.

"Me too."

Luna fiddled with the button on his pajama shirt. "Harry...the Headmaster talked to me today. He wanted to know what my plans were. For Daddy. Daddy is...not well. I mean, he will be okay, but it will be a while yet before he's himself."

"What do you want to do?"

Luna sniffled. "I...I don't know. I want to take care of Daddy, but...I..." He could feel her grow restless. "I don't want to leave."

"You don't have to. You and your Dad are both welcome here." Harry said hopefully.

Luna was quiet after that. She snuggled into his arms further. They laid there together for a while in the darkness, and then Harry spoke quietly. "The Order is disbanding. Everyone else will be leaving soon. I...I wouldn't mind having people here."

Luna kissed his cheek. "I'll talk to Daddy about it."

"Um...is that what you were upset about this morning?" Harry asked cautiously. Luna seemed to freeze up. Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry. It's not my business-"

"No...it's okay." Luna whispered. She sighed, and pulled away from him, so that she laid on her back next to him. "Madam Pomfrey told me something, and I was...upset."

"Is something wrong? Is it your Dad?" Harry asked worriedly.

Luna sniffled. "She...She...um, said that I won't be able to have kids."

Harry stared up in the darkness of the room. Whatever he'd been expecting Luna to say, that hadn't been it. "What?" He rolled over to face her properly.

"I...can't...have kids. When I get older."

His hand went down to her stomach, and she jumped. "Damn Bellatrix." He growled. "That Bitch."

Luna began to cry. "I'm sorry."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Why on earth are you sorry?"

"I...I...I don't know." Luna sobbed.

Harry pulled her into his arms. "Everything will be alright. You'll see. You'll be fine, Luna. Please don't cry." But she did. She cried and cried, and finally, Harry had to do something about it. He pulled her into a kiss, cupping her cheeks in his hands. Luna clutched at the front of his pajama shirt, kissing him back. Her lips were so warm and soft, and a bit salty from her tears. His hands slid into her hair, tangling up in her locks. What was up with him and kissing crying girls?

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled her lips away so that she could breath, but he attacked them again, never wanting to stop. She groaned, and squirmed as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Then she froze, hissing as she pulled away.

"Luna?"

"Sorry...got a little carried away there." She said, catching her breath, putting her hand to her stomach. She must have moved the wrong way. He put his hand on top of hers, and kissed her gently, this time.

"I'll be a bit more careful, then." He murmured against her lips, rubbing his hand over her bandages carefully. "I'll take care of you."

Luna's face heated at his tone, and he kissed her again.

* * *

Harry woke as the sun rose, as Luna was sliding out of his bed. They'd been up half the night, kissing each other, and talking. Harry hadn't actually come out and asked her, but he knew Luna was_ his_. He felt as though he didn't need to ask. He reached over and touched the small of her back as she sat up slowly in the bed. She glanced over her shoulder. Her hair was all rumpled up, and her face looked a bit flushed. She looked beautiful.

"Good morning."

"Morning." Harry replied. "Leaving already?"

"Mrs. Weasley will be up soon. I should get going." He sat up as well, and gathered her in his arms. He kissed her again.

"To tide you over until later." He gave her a lecherous grin. Luna giggled, and got up from the bed. He liked that Luna didn't mind him kissing her and making those sorts of jokes. He really wanted to yank her back into bed, but he knew she was right. And he knew that she had to be careful- there had been a couple of times the night before that she'd gasped in pain from her injury, from twisting the wrong way. But he managed to make her feel better with lots of steamy kisses.

He got up from his bed, and kissed her again by the door. "I'll make your favorite for breakfast."

Luna smiled. "Thank you Harry." As she went through the doorway, he pinched her bottom. She squeaked, and went red faced. Harry just grinned, and watched her go into her room. He closed the door when she was inside her own room. He leant against the wall, still smiling.

He'd had alot of fun, kissing and snogging Luna. His smile fell when he thought about when Luna had cried. He couldn't imagine how she felt right now. For something like that to have just been taken away, and so violently, he could understand why she was so upset. However, he _didn't_ understand why she had apologized for it. Why would she do that?

He sat down on his bed, thinking about the girl. For someone who'd never been kissed before, she was a fast learner. Eager to please. Not that he was an expert, or anything. And she loved it when he played with her hair. She thought it funny, but when he tugged and ran his hands through her tresses, she seemed to melt into a puddle of goo. He idly wondered how hard she'd let him pull. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

He grabbed his things to get ready for the day. There was a lot to do.

* * *

After breakfast, he was reading a letter from Gringott's. He'd gotten his Monthly statement from the bank, and he was pleased to see that he was doing okay. Christmas had put a dent into his spending, but the money he'd gotten from the Order would cover him for a while. Part of him wished that the Order of Merlin award was a monetary award too, but it wasn't. Still, it had been chucked onto his desk, and he was thinking about putting it in the loo. Or the attic or something. He didn't really care.

What he did care about was about what he was going to do for money. He set his bank statement aside as Ron came to the door.

"Hey, Luna's asking for you. She's in her Dad's room."

Harry's eyes widened, and he stood immediately. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. He's awake, though." Harry left his friend, and went to Mr. Lovegood's room. The man smiled as he saw Harry. Harry closed the door behind him, smiling back nervously.

"Mr. Lovegood, I'm glad you're awake."

Luna waved him over, and laced her fingers through Harry's. "Daddy, this is the boy I told you about."

The man just smiled, and she continued. "Harry's offered to let us stay here until you get better. Is that okay, Daddy?"

Mr. Lovegood nodded slowly. Harry couldn't help but smile. They were staying!

Luna hugged her Father carefully. "Thank you Daddy. I'll go tell Mrs. Weasley." The girl skipped out of the room, leaving Harry with her Father. Harry sat in the chair Luna had vacated, feeling a bit awkward.

"L-Luna's very happy." Mr. Lovegood said quietly.

Harry looked down. "Because you're awake."

"Don't be silly." The man coughed. "You better take care of her."

Harry's eyes went round. Mr. Lovegood went on, his voice weak. "She's much happier here than she ever was at Hogwarts. For whatever reason, she's happy. I don't want to take that away from her."He gave Harry a small smile, and Harry could see where she got it from.

"She told me the circumstances behind why you didn't go to Hogwarts this year. I know you are a bit short on money, so I would be happy to pay you rent for our rooms-"

Harry shook his head, but the man raised his hand, albeit a bit slowly.

"I insist. We have a bit of money saved, so it will be quite alright. I think...30 Galleons a month should do it? And we'll pay...10 Galleons a week for food. How does that sound?"

Harry knew that was a bit on the cheap side as far as rent went for two rooms, but knowing that Mr. Lovegood hadn't worked properly since the previous summer, he couldn't ask for any more than that. But he didn't want the Lovegoods to leave- especially Luna.

"That's perfect, sir."

"Call me Xeno." The man grinned.

* * *

Luna furrowed her brow in frustration as she struggled to button up her dress. She had taken twenty minutes so far to get dressed, and she still wasn't finished. She grinned as she got the last button done. Her smile fell as she grabbed her socks. There was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

It was Hermoine. "Hi. How are you?"

Luna fiddled with her socks, and then set them aside. She slipped into her shoes. "I'm fine. Harry's talking to Daddy right now."

Hermoine raised a brow. "He is?"

Luna nodded. "Daddy's negotiating with Harry about rent. We're going to stay here while Daddy is recovering."

A smile broke out on Hermoine's face. "That's good, right?"

Luna couldn't help but smile. "Yeah." She looked down at her lap. "Hermoine...when a boy...kisses you, does that mean you're dating?"

Hermoine sat down next to the blonde, looking excited. "Harry kissed you?"

Luna blushed, and nodded.

"It's about time! Merlin, I would have thought he would have done it ages- ahem...so, when was this?"

"Last night. After he came back from the Ball. We...talked about things. And then he kissed me. Alot. And I kissed him back. So...does that mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Hermoine hid her smile behind her hand. "You should probably ask him. Harry's the sort of bloke that wouldn't kiss a girl for no reason, though. He's liked you for a while now."

Luna fiddled with her sleeve. She didn't know what to believe.

"I don't know why. I mean...why would he want me?"

"You should ask him." Hermoine stood. "Well, I'm glad you two are finally together. Does your Dad know yet?"

Luna nodded. "I told him this morning."

Hermoine raised a brow. "Your Dad won't be upset that you two are going to be living together?"

"No. Why would he be?"

Hermoine bit her lip. "Well...your rooms are right next to each other. It would be so easy for you to just sneak over..."

"I do. All the time."

Hermoine looked surprised. "What?"

"Yeah. All semester, we've snuck into each other's rooms. Sometimes just to talk, or to sleep. Why, is it bad?"

"Um...no." Hermoine started, looking unsure. "Harry...hasn't tried anything more than kissing with you, right?"

Luna shook her head, and sighed. "No. I wish he would, though."

Hermione's eyes went round. "Really?" She squeaked.

Luna grinned. "Uh huh. I've been wanting him to shag me silly for a while now."

Hermoine's jaw dropped, and she was speechless for the first time in her life.

* * *

Harry was searching his desk for his bank statement after lunch. He'd wanted to double check on something, but he couldn't find it. "Damn."

"Looking for something, Harry?" Ginny asked from the doorway.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. My bank statement. It was right here on the desk." He flipped through some of his papers. "Where the hell is it?" He grumbled under his breath.

"I'm sure it'll turn up. Did you catch the Daily Prophet this morning?"

Harry made a face. Yeah, he'd seen a glimpse of it. He didn't care to read the rest of it, either. There had been a picture of him with Fudge on the front page, shaking hands. He hated it.

"You were in a special edition of Witch Weekly too." Ginny said with a grin, holding out her copy of the magazine. It had a picture of Harry, brooding in the corner, avoiding the crowds. The picture of Harry showed him leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Harry raised a brow at some of the headline under his picture.

_BOY WHO LIVED: BACHELOR OF THE YEAR!_

Harry rolled his eyes, tossing the magazine back to Ginny. Ginny frowned, and glanced around Harry's room. She noticed Luna's boots, coat, and scarf sitting haphazardly at the end of his bed. A rage filled her instantly, and she gripped the magazine hard in her hands.

"Well...I hope you find what you're looking for." She said distractedly, and went to Luna's room. She paused as she opened the door- Luna was brushing her hair.

"Hi Luna. How are you feeling?"

Luna glanced at Ginny. "Hullo Ginny." Luna said quietly. "I'm fine."

Ginny tossed her magazine onto Luna's bed, in front of the girl. "Catch the news today?"

Luna glanced at the cover. "No. I don't read Witch Weekly. Harry doesn't look very happy in that picture."

Ginny sat on the end of Luna's bed, uninvited. She opened the magazine. "This article is about Cho Chang, Harry's ex. See, they've got a picture of her here."

Luna only hummed, and didn't even glance at the picture. Ginny turned a few more pages. "And look, they've even got a picture of Harry and Parvati at the Yule Ball."

Luna continued to brush her hair. "That's nice."

"So...Hermoine told me your Dad talked to Harry. What about?"

Luna smiled. "They were negotiating our rent. Daddy and I will be staying here while he's recovering." She said with a relish. She could practically see the girl steaming up.

"Y-you're staying here?"

Luna nodded. "Of course. Harry said I was always welcome. Daddy too."

"B-but you're coming back to Hogwarts now, now that it's safe, right?"

"Oh no, I'm staying here. I'm much happier here."

Ginny's magazine crinkled in her hands. She stood, taking a deep breath. "But...you guys have your own home, don't you miss it?"

Luna was about to speak, but Harry spoke from the doorway, making both girls jump slightly.

"This is Luna's home now, for as long as she likes."

Luna beamed, and Harry went to her side. He kissed the top of her head, and Ginny seemed to wilt. He pet the back of Luna's hair, and looked at Ginny with a knowing smile. "I don't think I'd like being here much without Luna. Life would be terribly boring." He looked down at the blonde. "Luna, do you think I could talk to you privately?"

Luna grinned, and the two of them looked to Ginny. Ginny's hands shook, and she left the room quickly before she could start screaming.

Harry sat on the bed next to Luna. "Did she bother you?"

"Not...particularly." Luna said with a smile. "Not much can bother me today."

Harry grinned at this. "Oh, and why is that?"

Luna giggled, leaning on his shoulder. "Oh, well, it might just have to do with the fact that I snogged a boy I really liked last night."

"Do I know this boy?" Harry asked teasingly.

"Oh yes, he's terribly cute. He's got these pretty green eyes, and this scruffy hair, you can't miss him-" She burst into giggles, and he took her by the chin, and kissed her. Luna leaned into him, wrapping her hands around his shoulders.

He pulled away. "Well, I snogged a pretty girl last night, so I know how you feel."

"How pretty was she?" Luna asked, running her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck.

"_Very_ pretty. Prettier than any other girl I know." He paused. "I was thinking about asking her out on a date, if she'd have me."

Luna's heart jumped. "Really?"

Harry grinned. "So...how about it?"

"Yes!" Luna glomped him, and peppered his face with kisses. Harry laughed.

* * *

They came down the stairs holding hands. Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but smile as she saw them. "Hello dears. Luna, how are you feeling?"

"Much better, Mrs. Weasley."

"Good, good." She motioned to the kitchen. "I wouldn't go in there at the moment, Albus is debriefing some of our Members."

Harry and Luna exchanged a look. "Where are the others?"

Mrs. Weasley looked thoughtful. "Ron is at the Twin's shop for the afternoon, as is Ginny. Ginny looked upset for some reason..." She trailed off, looking at the blushing couple. She raised a brow, but said nothing. "And Hermoine is in the library."

The two of them went to the library, and Hermoine glanced up from her book. "Hey, you two." She did a double take, and grinned, seeing their joined hands.

"So, Hermoine, where's a good place to go out for a date in the muggle world?" Harry asked, sitting down.

Hermoine looked excited for her friends. "You two are going to go out?"

Luna blushed. "Well, it can't be too far away. I don't want to be too far away from Daddy."

"Mrs. Weasley won't be happy that you're going to leave again." Hermoine said disapprovingly to Harry.

Harry waved it off. "Don't care. I'm practically grown up, and this is my house. She can't tell me where I can and can't go. Anyways, she'll be leaving when you lot go back to school."

Hermoine raised a brow. "She is?"

Luna nodded. "Daddy and Remus will be staying, but it will just be them and us. Mrs. Weasley will come by for our lessons, of course."

At dinner that evening, the twins had joined them at the table. Ron was busy shoveling food into his mouth, while the twins talked business. Ginny pushed her food around her plate, not feeling very hungry. Hermoine was talking to Remus about the upcoming term, while Harry and Luna were quiet, basking in the glow of their new relationship. This was also the first time Luna had gone down to eat at the table since she'd been injured.

"So, what did you lot do today?" Mr. Weasley asked Harry, Luna, and Hermoine.

"I was reading, in the library. For most of the day." Hermoine said with a smile. She glanced at Harry and Luna with a small smile.

Harry held Luna's hand under the table. "Luna and I are going out."

"Oh?" Mr. Weasley grinned, and the twins catcalled at them. Ginny grimaced, not hiding it very well.

Mrs. Weasley swat her hand on George's shoulder. "Now really, don't tease. I think it's lovely." She hummed happily, and stood from the table. "Now, Fred, George, are you two ever going to get girlfriends of your own?"

Fred and George groaned, while Hermoine and Harry tried to hide their snickers unsuccessfully.

Harry's hand tightened over Luna's.

"So, I was thinking, that I could take Luna out on a date."

"Oh. Well, yes, I suppose we could work something out- you'll need an escort of course-" Mrs. Weasley started, but Fred cut in.

"Mum, that's so old fashioned! Girls and guys go out all the time without a chaperone nowadays."

"But it's not safe-"

Harry cut in. "Mrs. Weasley, thank you for caring about our safety, but I think Luna and I can take care of ourselves. We won't be far away, and we'll come back at the first sign of trouble. We're going to stay in the muggle world- we won't even go into Diagon or anything?"

"What on earth could you do in the muggle world?" Ron asked, his voice muffled from food.

"Loads of stuff. There are lots of things that I've always wanted to do, but I never got to. Now that Voldemort's gone, and I've got someone to do it with, I'm going to." Harry said cheerfully, wrapping his arm around Luna's shoulders.

Mrs. Weasley turned towards the sink, sniffling suspiciously. "Well, I...suppose that's alright. But you can't be any later than ten-"

Harry bristled, but said nothing. Mrs. Weasley had no say over when they had to return.

"I'll ask Luna's Dad what time he would be okay with." Harry cut in.

Luna smiled dreamily. "I don't think he'll mind the time Harry- he knows you'll keep me safe."

* * *

Before they knew it, it was time to say goodbye to their friends. Hermoine gave them big hugs as they headed out the door. Ginny hadn't spoken a word to either of them since the day they had started 'going out'. Harry suspected that her Mum had talked to her, considering how Ginny wasn't really talking to her Mum either. Ron was a bit awkward around them sometimes, always making sure to knock if they were alone in a room together, for some reason.

Mrs. Weasley was starting to pack her things up in the kitchen, and Harry realized that he was going to need to get some things for the kitchen to cover what she had brought with her. She would be leaving at the end of the week, and Harry couldn't be happier.

The place was already quieter without Order members coming around, and Remus generally stuck to his room when he wasn't out, or at mealtimes. Luna was often in her Father's room, painting. The man was still having trouble, and couldn't leave his bed yet.

Now that they were 'together', Mrs. Weasley hardly ever left them alone in the house. Harry was_ really_ looking forward to her being gone.

The night of their first date, Harry stood at the end of the stairs, waiting for Luna come down. Since it was winter, and they were going to the muggle cinema, they weren't going to be terribly dressed up or anything, but Luna had been in her room for the last hour, getting ready.

Remus sidled up to Harry with a small smile. "Nervous?"

Harry nodded, unable to speak. His eyes were still on the stairs, waiting for the blonde to come down.

Mrs. Weasley sniffled, dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief. Harry ignored her, and Remus spoke up again.

"It'll turn out fine. And if it's a disaster, you know she still likes you. You have nothing to worry about."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks Remus."

"Just remember, be polite, and...um, don't pressure her."

"I know, Remus." Harry mumbled, blushing. He did NOT want to talk about this in front of Mrs. Weasley. His breath hitched as Luna came down the stairs, practically skipping. She looked beautiful.

"I had to say goodnight to Daddy. Are you sure he'll be okay Remus?"

Remus nodded. "Of course he will be. I'll play chess with him later tonight- it'll be fun. You two have fun too. You look very nice, Luna."

Luna beamed. "Thank you Remus!" She turned to Harry. Harry couldn't stop staring at her. She was wearing her pink dress, with a thick sweater over it, with thick socks, and her snow boots. Her hair was down, and she was wearing her radish earrings. She had her coat in her arms.

"You...look great." Harry finally spoke.

Luna smiled, and put her coat on, wrapping herself up in her scarf. "You look nice too."

Harry pulled his own coat on, and he took her by the hand. "We'll be back later." He said, heading towards the they headed out, Mrs. Weasley called after them.

"Don't be too late! Use your portkey if you get into trouble, and-" The door closed behind Harry, and they were out on their own. It was snowing lightly- it was barely dusting the ground. Harry pulled on his gloves, as did Luna. They walked hand in hand up the street.

"So, we can go to the cinema, and then dinner. I thought you might want to try some pizza. I've always wanted to try it myself."

"Pizza?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Yeah. Tomato sauce with cheese, and all sorts of toppings, all on a dough crust. My Cousin had pizza all the time, and it smelled so good..." He licked his lips, and Luna giggled.

"Muggle food is so strange. How do you eat it?"

"With your hands. It's cut into slices. You'll see."

They took the bus to the cinema, and arrived just in time before a whole bunch started. Harry furrowed his brow, looking at all the titles. He had no idea which one to watch. He didn't know any of these.

"Hmm...Titanic, Good Will Hunting, The Fifth Element...I have no idea." He spoke to the boy at the counter. "Hey, which one is the best, out of all these?"

The boy thumbed towards The Fifth Element. "Titanic is way long, and it's really sappy, but if...uh...you're looking for something like that..." He wagged his eyebrows towards Luna. Harry blushed.

"Two for the Fifth Element."

Luna and Harry sat in the darkened theatre, staring up at the screen. Luna leant over to whisper to him. "So we just watch this screen?"

"Yeah. It's really big. I...um, didn't know Movie Theatre screens were this big."

"That girl on the poster looked pretty, even with her strange colored- hey, do you think she was charmed?'

"Um, they're muggles, Luna-" Harry cut himself off as he saw a couple of muggles sit nearby.

Luna giggled, and the ads started to play. They jumped at the loudness, unused to it.

Luna leant over, and whispered loudly to him. "And people do this for fun?"

"I guess so."

"I think it'd be alot more fun to go out and do something..." She trailed off, silvery eyes widening at the screen, as it showed a couple snogging on the screen.

"They're kissing!" She hissed.

Harry hid a smile behind his hand. "Yeah, they are."

"But..."

"Luna." Harry warned, seeing a couple of people turn their way. The movie was about to start. "We have to be quiet. We don't want to talk through the movie."

But Luna did.

"Omigosh! That car is flying! Is it like Mr. Weasley's car?"

"Ah! That girl is practically naked! And they're showing it on screen! I didn't know the muggles were so-"

"Look at that, the clothes are so odd-"

"Hey, that lady is blue, do you think-"

"Wow, she sounds really pretty, I've never heard music like that before-"

"Ah! Ew, she must of-"

Harry leant over, taking Luna by the hand. "Luna, we can't talk anymore. We're going to get into trouble." His hand tightened on hers warningly. He had half the mind to tug on that pretty hair of hers again to shut her up. He let go of her hand, shaking those thoughts away.

Luna bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Shh." He touched her lips gently, seeing her worried look. "I'm glad you like the movie, but we can talk about it afterwards, okay?"

The girl nodded, and did her best not to talk during the rest of the movie.

Afterwards, they were eating at a nearby pizza parlor. "This is a very fun date! I always heard the girls in Ravenclaw saying that all the boys ever did was take them to the Astronomy tower."

Harry nearly choked on his pizza. He coughed, and sipped his soda. "Well, um...we're not at school, so I can't do that."

"But if we were, you would?" Luna asked hopefully.

Harry blushed. "Well, um, only if you wanted to."

Luna giggled. "I would, but we're not at school, so it doesn't matter."

"But...you know why those boys took those girls up to the Tower, right?"

Luna nodded. "To shag."

Harry glanced around, making sure no one was in hearing distance. "Well, not always." He joined his hand with hers. " I don't want you to do something that you don't want to do."

"But I do."

Harry blinked at her, and just hoped he misunderstood. Luna was a good girl. She wouldn't shag on the first date. She wasn't like that. Right?

A little later, they were walking back to Grimmauld place, when Harry spoke again. "So…I was thinking about something earlier. What…are we exactly?"

Luna blinked owlishly at him.

He shrugged. "It's just a thought. I mean, we live together, and…we kiss. And we're going out, And…I care about you…" He looked at her hopefully.

"I care about you as well, Harry." Luna said, looking down at their joined hands, blushing.

"Are we girlfriend-boyfriend now?" He asked with an odd tone. He had mixed feelings about the title, but he wasn't sure. Luna's eyes widened at that. "It's just…I love being with you, but calling it that seems so…childish." He let them into the house, and they walked quietly up the stairs. They were late, and they didn't want to alert Mrs. Weasley

Luna glanced up at him, wondering where he was going with this. She was confused. "Well…if I'm not your girlfriend, than I'm…a friend?"

He sighed. "But you mean more to me than that." He said quietly, running a hand through her hair, stopping on the stairwell. Her eyes fluttered closed. "You could be…my girl." His fingertips raked through her scalp, making her bite her lip.

"Yes." She said quietly. She couldn't say more than that, as she was slowly being reduced to a pile of goo under his ministrations. Their eyes met, and he bent down, kissing her.

She held onto him like a lifeline, feeling his lips press against hers more insistently. He pulled her up to stand, and she did, wrapping her arms around his neck, one hand weaving into the back of his hair.

His hands held her tightly around the waist, and as she pulled back to breathe a bit, he moved forward, kissing her thoroughly again, slipping his tongue in her mouth.

She gasped, her hand slipping from his hair, both of them fisting onto his coat. He explored her mouth; his tongue pulled away and he bit her lip just a little. She groaned just slightly at the pain, and Harry let go of her, realizing what he'd done.

"On that note…I'm going to go to my room." He said with a lewd grin. He walked down the hallway, and Luna walked to her own room with shaky knees. As soon as the door closed behind her, Luna hiked up her skirt, yanked off her gloves, and her hand was in her knickers.

Him kissing her, holding her possessively. His tongue sliding against hers. His gorgeous green eyes filled with want…for her. Her hand quickened as she touched herself. Would he grope her next time? Would he want more? Would he touch her?

She shivered, in her mind's eye, she could hear Harry's voice. "My girl…my girl…my girl…my girl…" How could such simple words be so complex and pleasing at the same time? She could be His girl. She could be His lover. She could do that for him, couldn't she? Her hips wriggled, and she used her other hand to tug on the ends of her scarf, making it tighten around her neck.

Could she allow him to touch her? Did she want him to?

Yes. And yes. He only had to ask, and she would give him everything.

* * *

Harry approached her door, after dressing in his pajamas. He was going to ask her if she'd had fun on their date, and maybe snog a bit more. He paused, pressing his ear up to the door, as he heard a sound. He narrowed his eyes, listening more intently. A gasp. A slight creak. Another gasp, and a groan.

"…Harry." He heard in a soft voice. "Gods…"

He sprang back from the door, face red. She…she was touching herself! And thinking of him! Yeah, he did it too, but…but she was a girl! _Nice_ girls didn't do that…did they? He stared at the door, and leant in again, listening intently.

Harry went back to his room, and began to pace. He wanted to go into the girl's room and just...he didn't know. He wanted to do something, but...what?

Fuck her? No, he wanted more than that. It wouldn't be enough.

He glanced at the clock, and sat on the end of his bed. He would wait. Until she went to sleep. Then he would sneak into her room. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. But it was different this time. He stared at the floor, listening intently to the noises of the house, seeing if he could pick out the girl's heavy breathing- he licked his lips as he thought of Luna touching herself, for him. He got up from his bed, and pressed his ear up against the wall, trying to listen a bit more. He couldn't hear it very well, but he thought he could hear the girl gasping for breath, a low whine-

He paced back and forth a bit more, biding his time. How much longer? How long did it take? He was dying to know. He wanted to see. He wanted to be there. He wanted to be the one to touch her. He wanted to be the one to make her- he shook his head.

What was he thinking? He couldn't force her to touch herself. That would be wrong. Right?

He buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Luna laid on her bed, panting from exertion. She hadn't even bothered to take off her jacket and things yet, her feet were dangling over the side of her bed, her dress hiked up around her hips. She sighed, closing her eyes. She felt unbelievably good, right now. She slowly toed off one of her shoes, dropping it to the floor. As she began to do the same to the other, her bedroom door opened with a creak.

She raised herself up on her elbows, and saw Harry standing there in his pajamas, gawking at her. She made no move to cover herself up- she just stared right back at him. She'd known he was outside her door at one point, listening. She had heard his footsteps. And by the way that he was staring at her, he wanted to do a lot more than just listen.

"I thought you were asleep." The boy mumbled, closing the door behind him quietly. Luna cocked her head. Why would he have waited until she was asleep? Would he have waited to touch her then?

A smile spread on her face. "I could pretend that I'm asleep. If you wanted me to." She said coyly. She watched his face go red, and his eyes grow round. She laid back down, and closed her eyes, her smile still playing on her lips. Things were silent in the bedroom- neither of them barely breathed.

Luna felt the slightest of touches on her knee, and she fought herself to keep from reacting. Harry's hand burned on her skin as it went up her thigh, but it left quickly. She heard a slight movement, and felt him take off her other shoe. Then she felt him sit on the bed next to her.

"I'm going to take off your jacket now." The boy murmured. Luna made no sign of recognition, she was supposed to be asleep, right? He didn't make any movements, though, so she cracked one eye open. She couldn't help but grin at Harry's expression. With a giggle, she clamped her eyes shut again. She heard Harry chuckle, and he pulled her up to sit by the shoulders. Feigning sleep, she leant against him heavily as he pried off her jacket. He did so, and threw it to the floor. When his hands went to the buttons on her dress, he spoke again.

"Open your eyes Luna."

She did, and she watched him unbutton the top of her dress. His gaze intoxicated her- she was dizzy with desire.

"I heard you touching yourself." He whispered.

"I know. I heard you outside my door." She whispered back.

He seemed to pause at this, but then continued to unbutton her dress. He fumbled with the buttons, obviously unused to undressing someone else. The top half of her dress was unbuttoned, revealing a thin white chemise that didn't hide much. His hands ghosted over her chest, and then he trailed his fingers over the thin lace straps as he pushed her sleeves off her shoulders. She couldn't help but close her eyes again at the touch- so soft and warm. She licked her lips, leaning back to lie on her bed again. She felt him continue to unbutton her dress, all the way to the bottom. He opened her dress completely, and stared.

She was gorgeous. He could see her chemise had ridden up around her waist, showing her bandages, and her knickers. While her chemise was dainty looking, a white cotton that was so thin he could practically see...everything, her knickers were a playful pink with blue polka dots. She still had her socks on- long bright green winter socks that raised to just below her knees.

He moved her about carefully to get her dress off all the way, and he dropped it to the floor. Her scarf was still about her throat, and he unwrapped it, sliding it from her neck. She sighed, and he watched her body move just slightly. He knelt down again, running his hands down her legs. One of her feet twitched, and he smiled, and started to tug on her sock. It came off, and he dropped it with her other clothes, and the other sock joined soon after.

He straightened back up, and stared down at her.

"That's better." He murmured. "Now, is it all right if we do something Luna?"

Her only reaction was her breathing shortened. He stared at her heaving chest for a moment.

"Answer me, Luna." Harry stated quietly.

Without opening her eyes, the girl spoke. "What would you like me to do?" She asked softly.

For a moment, he thought about having her undress the rest of the way. But she probably wouldn't go for that. He grabbed her desk chair, and pulled it over so that he would sit across from her. He had the perfect view of her spread legs.

"Sit up."

She did so, leaning back on one of her arms.

"Open your eyes. You're not asleep, Luna."

She did so, and her silvery eyes shone. "Are you sure? I could be dreaming, you know."

He grinned. "I don't think so."

"You could pinch me, just to make sure." The girl said coyly. He leant forward, pinching her inner thigh. She squeaked, and grinned wider."No...I don't think I'm dreaming."

Harry leant back in the chair. "I want you to do something for me."

"Anything, Harry." The girl said quietly.

Harry thought about it for a moment. Could he really ask her to do anything? Maybe she was just saying that. He shook his head. "I want to watch you touch yourself. I want to see what you did earlier."

Luna scooted closer to the edge of the bed. "Okay." And just as he asked, she began to touch herself. Harry could only stare in shock and awe. Part of him had expected for her to get upset, or maybe even slap him, but...a smaller part of him knew that she wouldn't. He watched her rub her breasts, pinching her nipples through her chemise. He could see her nipples hardening from her touches. One of her hands strayed down over her stomach, and down over her knickers. Over the fabric, she slid a finger up and down the front of her knickers. She stroked and stroked, and one of Harry's hands couldn't help but go to the front of his pajamas and squeeze himself.

He watched her pinch one of her nipples, twisting it slightly, head lolling to the side as she panted. Her hips were moving now too, and he could see that her legs were shaking just slightly. She let out a soft groan, and her hand went under her chemise, cupping her breast. "...Harry..." She breathed.

His stomach clenched as he heard her. He couldn't take it anymore. He bolted out of his chair, and grabbed her by the hair. He yanked her up into a rough kiss, and the two of them tumbled onto the bed. He pinned her arms back, still kissing her. He pulled his lips away, and looked down at the girl underneath him. She looked a bit dazed, her lips raw looking. She felt so good underneath him. The skin on her arms were soft under his hands, and he wondered if the rest of her was just as soft.

"What do you want me to do now?" She whispered imploringly.

He rolled off of her, and laid on his side. He pulled her into another kiss. "Did I tell you to stop touching yourself?" He whispered back. She shook her head, and her hand went back down to her knickers. They stared each other in the eyes, kissing intermittently while they touched themselves.

* * *

The following morning, Harry woke sleepily with Luna in his arms. A grin spread on his face as he thought about the night before. He wondered if she'd be okay with him touching her while she was asleep, like she'd pretended the night before. He ran a hand down her back, and to her bottom. He squeezed it gently, making the girl shift against him. Last night, he'd had the courage to grope her breasts over her chemise, and her bottom over her knickers, but nothing more. He slid his hand down further, over the back of her thigh, pulling it closer to him. Her hip nestled into his groin.

She sighed, nuzzling his neck, and her hips wriggled slightly. She was awake now, but she didn't seem to have a problem with him groping her like that. He slowly shifted his hips against hers when the bedroom door opened with a bang. Both teens jumped up, startled.

Mrs. Weasley stood in the door, fuming. "Harry James Potter! Get your hands off of Luna this instant!" Harry raised his hands up in the air like he'd seen criminals do on the telly, when he realized what he was doing. He lowered them, and frowned.

"Mrs. Weasley, it's the weekend. We don't have lessons. You usually let us sleep in."

The woman gawked, and Luna leant into his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist loosely.

Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips. "Harry, go to your room! This is very, very improper behavior- if you were one of my sons, I'd-"

"But I'm not. You have no say in what I do." Harry replied calmly. "So if I want to sleep with Luna, you have no say in the matter."

The woman looked shocked for the smallest of moments. "Well! Let's see what Xeno and Remus have to say about this!" She stomped out of the room.

Harry and Luna exchanged a look. Luna gave him the smallest of smiles. "You can molest me while I'm sleeping another time, Harry. I'm getting kind of hungry."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, and get out of the bed. "I guess you're right. She's going to be on the warpath today. We'll just lie low."

Luna sat up on her knees, and kissed his cheek. "I had fun." He kissed the top of her head, smiling.

"Me too. I'll take you up on that offer of molesting later, alright?"

She giggled, and Harry let go of her. He was on the way to his room when Remus and Mrs. Weasley came up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley pointed to him. "See! Coming back from her room! She'll be a ruined woman at this rate-"

Harry frowned, and Remus put a hand on her shoulder. "Molly, they're teenagers. Considering they were both _clothed_ this morning, I don't think it's gotten that far, yet." He sighed, and shook his head. "Harry's right. He's a grown man, and Luna knows what she's doing. They're not children anymore, Molly. You don't need to bother Xeno with this- he probably knows already, if I know him."

Mrs. Weasley went back down the stairs in a huff. Remus fixed Harry with a Look. Harry just smiled at him sheepishly.

* * *

The following day, Mrs. Weasley was to be going back to the Burrow. She had let it be known that she clearly dissaproved of Harry and Luna being left alone as often as they were, but Remus nor Xeno weren't going to stop them. Both of them thought that the teens were old enough to know what they were doing. It wasn't as though Luna could get pregnant anyhow. They all knew this, but it was not mentioned. Mrs. Weasley had even talked to the Headmaster about it, but the man only twinkled and said that he was happy that the two of them had found love in one another.

Of course, Harry nor Luna had heard the Headmaster say this. Because things would have been a bit awkward.

You see, Harry knew that he was attracted to Luna, and Luna felt the same. And they care for each other a great deal. But love? Neither of them were so sure.

So time passed. Things seemed a lot less exciting, now that Voldemort was gone. No clandestine meetings in the kitchen, or secret goings-on at Hogwarts. They had their lessons each day, Xeno to look after, and bills to pay.

Harry had gone grocery shopping one day at the muggle grocer's and saw a 'help wanted' sign. So, he applied, and got the job. This led to him getting a cell phone, because he needed a phone, and it also led to Dumbledore forging some paperwork and lowering the Fidelis on Grimmauld Place. According to the muggles, Harry owned the house completely, and the mortgage had been paid off before he'd inherited it. Muggles were now passing by the house wondering why they'd never seen it before, but didn't pay much mind to it. Muggles were always too busy to question such things for too long. They always just assumed that the building had always been there, and they hadn't noticed it.

Harry was happy for all this, because now he could do things in the muggle world a bit easier. Hermoine had actually helped him get a couple of people interested in boarding at the house, once they graduated Hogwarts. One was Lavender Brown, and another was Sally-Anne Perks. Both girls didn't want to stay with their families after graduation, and Hermoine had pointed them to Harry and his rooms.

Harry wrote letters to the girls and negotiated a pay contract. The two girls would both pay 40 Galleons a month for rent, and 10 for food. He expected them to pay a month in advance before they moved in. Both girls said that they had the money, and that they were applying to jobs. Lavender wanted to work for Witch Weekly as a fashion consultant, while Sally Anne wanted to work at the Ministry for their Muggleborn relations department.

He breathed a bit easier at the prospect of more money coming in, but that wouldn't start until term ended. In the meantime, he worked his shifts at the muggle grocer's on a few weekday mornings, and once a week in the evenings. He got a discount on food too, which was nice. The twins got a new contract with the Ministry, from the Auror Department, so Harry got a few extra Galleons per week because of that.

Because Harry was now working at a muggle establishment, he thought about making a muggle bank account. He was tired of having to go to Gringott's to convert his money all the time, and having to cash his check at muggle check cashiers. He wanted to be able to save his muggle money too, and keep it safe.

* * *

Harry stared at the necklace in the woman's hands. He'd scraped and saved for that necklace, and it seemed more beautiful than ever. Luna would look gorgeous in it.

"I'll take it."

The woman smiled, and laid it into a box. "I'm sure your girlfriend will be very happy with her gift. Birthday?"

Harry opened his mouth, and paused. When was Luna's birthday anyways?

"Um...no, just a present." He mumbled, handing over the money. She rang him up, and placed the box in a bag.

"How sweet. Well, I hope things end well! Come by again, if you like, we have plenty more things here she might like!" The woman called after him, and he left the shop. When was Luna's birthday? His thoughts buzzed as he buttoned his coat. He couldn't remember her mentioning it. He walked down the street, trying to remember if her Dad had mentioned it either. He couldn't. He turned on to Grimmauld place, moving out of the way slightly for a kid on a bike. The weather was still cold, but the snow was melting. Soon enough, it would be spring, and Harry was looking forward to it.

Remus had mentioned that Harry would get to have his driving lessons again, for his motorbike, once the weather got better. He hoped it would be soon. It would be fun to take Luna out on the bike. He smiled as he unlocked the front door, grabbing the post.

"Hi Harry!" Luna greeted from the stairs. She was painting the wall there. She had a bit of green paint on her hands, but otherwise she was still clean. She must have just started.

"Hi Luna." Harry said with a smile, hiding the bag behind his back. "What are you painting?"

"Vines. Oh, and Venemous Tentacula. What do you have behind your back?"

Harry coughed. Of course she would see it. "It's a secret. So, I'm going to go upstairs." He moved around her slightly, and she looked up at him hopefully. "Kiss?"

Harry bent down with a smile, and kissed her cheek. As he did so, she grabbed the bag from him.

"Luna!" He grabbed it back from her. "I don't want you getting paint on it, okay?"

Luna gave him a smile. "Oh, can I see it later?" She tilted her head.

"No."

"I promise I'll make it worthwhile."

Harry cleared his throat. He had no doubt about that. "Maybe. Later." And with that, he practically ran up the stairs. He was about to head to his room when he passed by Xeno's room. He could hear the man's typewriter clacking away, and he smiled. Xeno had gone back to work for the Quibbler- he couldn't be kept from it for long. The paper was up and running again, much to the happiness of the Lovegoods. He knocked on the man's door, and the typing paused. He heard a grunt, and he knew it was okay to go inside. He poked his head in, and saw the man at his desk, papers littering the floor. His hair was a bit wild looking, and he was in his bathrobe.

"What is it Harry?" Xeno asked without even turning around.

"When is Luna's birthday?"

Xeno turned slightly in his chair, looking at Harry in surprise. "Oh, you don't know?"

Harry shook his head, hoping it wasn't that day, because that would just be awful-

"It's in March, on the Seventh."

Thank goodness. He had three more weeks, then.

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I realized she'd never told me, and I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed it."

"March Seventh is a good number. Magical numbers. Then again, your numbers are good too." The man mumbled distractedly, turning back to his typewriter. Harry blinked at him, and closed the door. It was obviously a dismissal. He went to his own room, and he began to plan.

* * *

After dinner, Luna came into his room. Harry was at his desk, studying. She hovered over his shoulder, glancing at his notes. "You spelled that wrong." She pointed to a particular passage. Harry corrected it, and then set his quill down. He turned to face her, and wrapped his arms around her waist loosely.

"What can I do for you?" He murmured, running his hands up and down her back.

"What was in the bag earlier?"

"A surprise."

Luna squealed. "I love surprises! When are you going to surprise me?"

Harry chuckled, and stood. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise then, would it?" He kissed her deeply. In the past few weeks, they hadn't gone further than groping and kissing, not that he minded much. He ran a hand through her hair, and tugged on it closer, pulling her against him roughly.

He turned slightly so that she sat on the edge of his desk, and he stood in between her legs. They snogged heatedly for a bit, and he felt her hands wander to his bum, pulling him closer. He could feel that she was very hot between her legs, and he wanted to reach down and feel-

She groaned, lips slipping from his as he tugged her by the hair, baring her neck to him. He kissed down her neck, and lifted her up by her bum. She wrapped her legs around him, and her arms around his neck, so she wouldn't fall. He carried her the short distance to the wall, pinning her there. They snogged a bit more, and he bit down on her neck. She went quite still, and her arms tightened around him. He used one of his hands to grope her breast. She groaned again, biting her lip.

She wriggled against him, and his hand went down further. Their eyes met as he reached down between them, and his hand went up her skirt.

"Is this part of the surprise, Harry?" She whispered, eyes shining.

Harry shook his head, and his hand felt the front of her knickers. She was warm, very warm. And as he took two of his fingers and moved them down further, he could feel that they were slightly damp. He glanced down, startled. He lowered her, and her feet met the floor. She took his hand, and guided it back. She kissed his neck, holding him tight. "Please, Harry. I want you to."

She didn't need to say more than that.

His fingers moved slightly over her knickers, up and down, like he'd seen her do. As he could feel the knickers growing damper, he could feel the lips of her pussy easier- it practically stuck to her skin. She was making little breathy sounds as she clutched at him. His slid his fingers back and forth faster, watching her reaction. Her face grew flushed, and she looked as though she would fall over if he hadn't had a good grip on her. He bent down and kissed her, and he could feel that his fingers had slid between the lips of her pussy.

She cried out as he grabbed it tight. "This is mine. Isn't it?" He whispered, his voice husky with need.

She nodded quickly, her hips rubbing against his hand. "Yes...yes, please, just don't stop!" She gasped.

He pulled away from her slightly, his hand still gripping her by her pussy. He began to walk backwards, and she followed. She had to, considering the grip he had on her pussy. He pushed her to the bed roughly, and she bounced a bit. He sat next to her on the bed, but didn't touch her.

"Pull up your skirt." He whispered. She stared at him, heart pounding in her chest. What was he going to do?

"Pull up your skirt." He ordered again. "Do I need to repeat myself again?"

She pulled up her skirt, wondering what he would do if she didn't do what he said. Instead of touching her like she thought he would do, he only undid his own belt. She stared as he pulled it out of his belt loops, and set it on the bed next to him. He unbuttoned his trousers and undid the zip. She could see his boxers were tented slightly.

He reached over, and began to stroke her pussy through her soaked knickers. He kissed her for a bit, and then bit her lips. She hissed at the slight pain, and pulled back. He stared down at her, his strokes quickening.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

She stared at him. "The touching or the biting?"

His lips curled into a smile, and he gripped her tight in his hand, making her freeze. "All of it."

Her eyes fluttered closed, and she bowed her head. "I like you touching me. And I like it when you bite me. And when you pinned me to the wall. And when you tell me what to do. Is that what you meant..." She trailed off, as though she was supposed to say something else, like it was on the tip of her tongue. Her mind was racing. "I...I like doing what you tell me to do." She ended quietly. She couldn't put everything into words. What she felt was just...impossible to describe.

"Why?"

Her eyes met his. "I...just...want to." She murmured, unable to say more than that. She didn't know what to say. He stared at her for the longest time.

"So you'd do anything I'd tell you to?"

She nodded slightly. "Anything. I trust you."

* * *

Things were different. After Luna's confession, Harry realized that Luna _did_ trust him. Strangely, it made him feel quite differently about what he did with her. It was more than that, and it felt more than that. After her confession, he'd kissed her, and told her to clean herself up. He left her to her own devices that evening, and thought about things.

He didn't know why she felt as though she did. He didn't know why he did the things he did. Part of him felt bad, like he was forcing her to do things. But at the same time, he knew she was doing these things willingly. He wanted more. How much further could he go before she told him no? Part of him wanted to find out, but another part of him was scared.

He didn't want to lose her friendship; and dare he say it, her respect?

These past few months, he'd noticed how she'd treated him, even before the battle with Voldemort. She...respected him. It was more than most did, that was for sure. He didn't want to abuse that. But she wanted to do these things. He would think about this for a while. He cared about her too much to go into this blindly.

* * *

The following morning, Harry was making breakfast when Luna came down to the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder. Luna gave him a small smile, as though nothing was wrong, as though nothing had changed. But he could see it in her eyes. Something_ had _changed, and she looked at him differently now because of it. He turned back to the stove.

"Set up Xeno's tray, and set the table for breakfast. When the food is finished I want you to take the tray up to your Father, and then call Remus to breakfast. After you've done that, get my tea ready. You know how I take it, right?"

Luna hesitated, looking at him curiously. "Black, with lemon?"

He nodded, and Luna got to work. He watched her surreptitiously as he continued to cook breakfast. He finished, and Luna was ready with her Father's tray in time. He gave her a small smile, and she seemed to brighten at this.

"Say hello to your Father for me." She nodded, and walked away with the tray. She came back a few minutes later, and he had set the food on the table. She poured him some water from the kettle, and got his tea ready. He watched her do so, and sat down in his seat. She put his tea down by his plate, and their eyes met. His hand grazed hers, and her eyes lowered.

"Thank you Luna." His thumb rubbed the top of her hand as their fingers intertwined. Her smile widened, but her eyes didn't meet his. "Luna?"

Her eyes raised. "Yes Harry?"

"We're going to have a talk later. After lessons, and before I have to go to work. Today, I want you to think about _why_ you do what I tell you to do."

"I don't have to think about it." Luna whispered, moving a bit closer to him. "It makes me happ-" Remus came into the kitchen, yawning, at that moment. Luna stepped away from Harry slightly, blushing. She sat down in her own seat, glancing at him.

Remus poured himself some tea, and slumped into his chair. "Good morning, you two."

"Morning Remus."

* * *

That afternoon, Harry was in his room, getting ready for work. There was a soft knock at his door, just as he pulled his shirt on. "Yes?"

"It's me, Harry."

"Come in." Harry said, buttoning his trousers up. She came into the room, and sat on the edge of his bed. She looked at him expectantly.

"Why does it make you feel happy?" He asked, running a hand through his hair, and pulling his cap on.

"Because...I like it. I like making you happy. Do I?" The girl asked, keeping her eyes down to her lap.

Harry couldn't help but smile while he slipped into his trainers.

"You do." He stood in front of her, running a hand through her pretty hair. "I'll be home before ten. I want you to be here when I get back, I want you to be ready for bed."

She looked up at him in surprise. He just smiled. "Wear your favorite pajamas, and make sure you have your hairbrush out on the table. I'll brush your hair tonight." She beamed at this, and he continued. "You don't have a problem with sleeping with me tonight?"

"No Harry." She said, sounding hopeful. "But will we do more than sleep?"

Harry bent down, and kissed her brow. "I suppose it depends. I'll see you later."

* * *

Luna sat on the edge of Harry's bed, playing the with brush in her hands. She'd been sitting there for ten minutes already, waiting for him. He was late. Every minute, her excitement grew. What would he do? She was looking forward to him brushing her hair- she quite liked that, but what else would they do? She heard the door close downstairs, and she tensed, setting the brush on the bedside table. She adjusted her pajamas, and laced her fingers together in her lap. She was wearing her favorite pajamas, but she wasn't sure if Harry would be pleased with them. It was her prancing unicorn nightgown, with the ruffle about the edges. The unicorns seemed to sense her excitement, because they were practically dancing on the fabric.

She could hear him coming down the hall now, and she stood, waiting. He opened the door, and looked at her for a moment. He smiled slightly, and went to his dresser. "I'm going to take a shower. Turn down the covers, and wait for me, okay?"

She nodded, and he left with his towel and pajamas. She turned down the covers, and sat on the bed again, waiting for him. He must have taken a record time shower, because she didn't have to wait long. He looked very excited, and his shirt wasn't even buttoned up all the way. He closed the door behind him, and hung his towel over his desk chair.

He sat next to her on the bed, and grabbed the brush from the bedside table. "Get in front of me, on the floor."

She got off the bed, and sat on the floor in front of him, and he began to brush her hair.

"I should have known that these were your favorite." He murmured.

Luna smiled. "You like them?"

"Yes. They're very cute." She sighed as he ran a hand through her hair, followed by a stroke of the brush.

"How was work?" She asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Fine. What did you do this evening while I was at work?"

Luna blushed, looking down. "I...took a shower."

"Hmm, anything else?"

"Not really." She mumbled, and he tilted her head back with a tug.

"Oh?" A hand cupped her cheek. She stared up at him. "And what did you do in the shower?" He sounded as though he knew that she'd also done something else.

"I...washed myself. I... wanted to make sure that I looked good. I also replaced my bandages again." She murmured. She didn't tell him that she'd also touched herself, thinking of him, but for some reason, she thought he might have known anyways.

He let go of her hair, letting her fall back. "When did Madam Pomfrey say you could take them off?"

"Next week." She murmured,leaning her head against his knee. She wrapped her arms around his leg.

"Good." He set the brush aside. "Come here." She turned around to face him properly, and got up on her knees. He patted his lap, and she stood, and then sat down on one of his legs. He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You used your new shampoo that you made. It smells nice."

"Thank you." Luna murmured. She could feel his cock against her thigh. Part of her just wanted to reach down and grab it, another part of her was waiting to see what he would do. He ran a hand up and down her thigh.

"This is what you're going to do for me, Luna. You're going to take off those pretty pajamas of yours, and set them over the railing of the bed." Luna stood, and took off her nightgown, pulling it up over her head. Her heart started to pound with excitement- she wasn't even nervous. She could feel him watching her. She was just wearing her chemise and knickers in front of him again. But this time, she was wearing her knickers that matched her chemise. She folded her nightgown and hooked it over the railing. She turned to face him, watching his expression.

"Take off your top."

She pulled it off over her head nervously, her eyes dropping to the floor. Now, she was feeling a bit nervous.

"Oh...Luna..." He whispered. He reached for her, and she moved closer so he could grab her by the hips. "You're beautiful." He ran one hand up and down her back, and another groped her bum. He leant forward, sliding his hands to her breasts. She bit her lip as he touched them- his hands were warm, and gentle. But she knew that those hands could be wonderfully rough too.

"Lie down." He murmured, taking off his own top, hooking it over the railing with her nightgown. They laid down together, and she laid very still while he touched and fondled her breasts. He pinched a nipple, and she squirmed against him.

"Feel good, hmm?"

She nodded, he grabbed her hand. "I want you to make me feel good too." He pressed her hand against the front of his pajama pants, and she reflexively gripped him in her hand. He groaned softly, and kissed her again. They touched each other for a while, snogging madly. She could feel him get even bigger through his pajama pants as she stroked him back and forth. He groaned, and got on top of her, and thrust into her hand. His weight on top of her felt good, comforting in a way. She wished she could touch him without his pesky pajamas in the way.

He must have been reading her mind, because he pulled away from her slightly, and yanked his pajama pants down in the front. She looked down, feeling a bit startled as she saw his cock for the first time. It was a dark pink, and a bit red at the tip- jutting out of his dark curls. She felt her cunt get wet at the sight, and she really wanted to touch herself. She reached down again, and began to touch herself through her knickers. He began to touch himself too, watching her. In moments, he lowered himself onto her, and they were rubbing against each other madly. She could feel her knickers getting soaked, his hip grinding into her knickers, his cock rubbing against her hip.

Part of her wished that she didn't have the bandages on, so she could feel him even more. Another part of her wanted to take off her knickers too. He kissed her roughly, and her thoughts flew away as he bit down on her lip, hard. She groaned, clutching at him, pulling him closer by his bum. Her head lolled back as he pulled her legs apart, and began to thrust against her knickers. Feeling his cock sliding against her knickers made her legs shake. She could feel his length sliding up and down, teasing against her clit. It slid easily against the fabric- it was soaked.

"Oh...Harry..." She gasped, feeling his length press up against her again. "Please..."

The grip on her hips tightened, and he bit her ear. "What is it, girl?"

She groaned at the pain, toes curling as she arched her hips up slightly. "Don't...Don't..." She wanted to tell him 'Don't stop', but she couldn't get the last word out. His thrusts quickened, and she felt him grab her knickers.

"Don't what, girl?" He growled into her ear, nipping at her neck. "This is mine, isn't it? I do what I want with it, right?"

She could only groan as he ripped the side of her knickers, tearing the fabric with a rip that seemed louder than it should be. Her hips arched up into his, and he bit down on her collarbone. He ripped the other side, still thrusting against her. "You're mine. You'll do anything I want, right?"

"...y-yes." She whispered, clutching at his shoulders. "Just don't stop. Please." She begged.

He kissed her roughly, and continued to thrust against her. She could feel the fabric of her knickers sliding down- completely destroyed. They both hissed and froze as his cock slid against her wet cunt- skin against skin. She opened her eyes, not realizing when she'd closed them. He stared down at her.

"You're mine. Aren't you?" He whispered, his eyes hooded and dark with want.

"Yes. I...I'm yours." She whispered. She could feel the tip of his cock nudge in between her folds- he was so close. He could be inside with just one thrust. He would be in her. She gave him a small smile, and opened her legs wider, an unmistakable invitation. She ached to have him inside her. Something in his expression changed. He slowly slid his length up and down against her cunt, making it even slicker. She groaned, head lolling back as he quickened his movements. He guided the tip of his cock inbetween her pussy, pressing shallowly into her.

Luna's heart quickened as he shifted his hips, his cock nudging in a bit deeper. "Please Harry." She whispered, sliding her hands to his hips, wanting to pull them closer.

He bent down and kissed her gently. "No regrets. No turning back. You're mine."

"Always." She breathed, and bit her lip as he pushed in a bit more. A sharp pain from deep inside her made her cry out. Her head lolled back, and tears came to her eyes. He pet her hair, and wiped her tears away, whispering to her how beautiful she was when she cried. Her fingers dug into his skin as he slowly slid deeper inside her. He kissed her cheeks, wiping her tears away again. Their eyes met.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

She nodded. "I'm okay. You...you can move."

He shifted his hips slightly, and she brought her arms up to wrap around his shoulders. There was still a bit of pain, but as he moved back and forth, it slowly started to fade away. She watched him in awe as he used her body, holding her by the hips, fucking her with his cock. His thrusts went deeper, and Luna felt as though she was being pounded into the mattress.

"Fuck...fuck..." The boy hissed, his hands leaving her hips, and grabbing her wrists. He brought them above her head, pinning them to the bed. "Yesss...Gods, you feel so good."

Luna writhed underneath him, panting with exertion. Her chest heaved as she tried to get enough air into her lungs. "Harry, please...harder..." She begged, twisting her wrists slightly. It felt entirely too good to have that weight on them. She pulled on it slightly, and his grip tightened. She groaned. "Yes...fuck me Harry."

He stilled suddenly, and she looked up at him. A smile played on his lips. "You cursed."

"So?" She panted.

"You're cute." He purred, bending down to kiss her. As he pulled away, he nipped her lip. "Cussing like a..." His eyes grew darker. "Slut. Are you a slut, Luna?" He whispered, kissing her neck. He rolled his hips, reminding her that he was still filling her up. Luna shivered, nuzzling her head into him.

"Do you want me to be?" She whispered back. She felt incredibly dirty right now- she felt as though she would do anything he asked of her. She'd only heard the word at school, when her Housemates gossiped, and she'd never used it herself. In fact, she hadn't really cursed that much before, but hearing Harry say those sorts of things made her want to do it more.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't know if you are one. You might not qualify, yet." He teased, thrusting into her shallowly. "After all, this is your first time, isn't it?"

She nodded, leaning up to kiss his jawline. "I can be, if you want me to. What do you want me to do?" She groaned as he thrust into her again.

He chuckled, hands easing up on her wrists. "I don't think it something you can automatically become...you have to earn it. How would you earn it, girl?"

Luna bit her lip, sucking in some air so she could breathe a bit better. "I'd...I'd let you fuck me. Whenever you wanted. However you wanted to do it."

"And?" He was really getting turned on by this.

"And...I'd go down on you." She whispered, voice trembling.

"Oh? You'd suck my cock? Have you thought about it often, girl?"

She nodded quickly, and squirmed under him as his hands groped her breasts. "Yes. Yes...oh...Harry...the only reason I'm not begging for it now is because you're already inside me..." She groaned. "Don't stop..."

He thrust into her sharply, making her toes curl again.

"You know, I don't know if you could be a slut. I mean, you're a nice girl, aren't you girl?"

She groaned, nodding slightly. "But...but if you wanted me...to..." She cried out, shaking as he thrust into her quickly, and kept going.

"Oh, you want to be bad?" He whispered playfully. "Because if you're bad...I might have to punish you."

Her hands searched for his shoulders, squeezing them as he fucked her harder. She groaned, licking her lips. "What would you do?"

He grabbed her hips, and hoisted them up slightly, so that he fucked her at a different angle. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Oh...lots of things. So, do you want to be a bad girl, Luna?"

She arched her back as she cried out, fingers tightening in his shoulders. "Yes! Yes! Please! Please don't stop-"

Neither spoke as he continued to fuck her, faster and faster, and Luna felt a warmth spread over her body as she felt her orgasm build up. She felt him go faster and faster, until everything seemed to explode all at once- her body arched up, and she cried out, toes curling up, and body stiffening. Just a few moments later, she could feel him come inside her, filling her up with his semen. He laid atop her, panting, his cock softening inside her. She clutched at him, holding him tight as tears pricked in her eyes.

She began to cry.

* * *

Harry stared at the sleeping Luna in the bed next to him. She was dressed in her pajamas, and she had tear tracks on her cheeks. After they'd had...sex the night before, she began to cry. She explained to him that she wasn't _really_ sad, but she wasn't sure why she cried anyways. He still felt bad. He cleaned her up, and dressed her back into her pajamas. She cried a bit more, and he held her, trying to offer his support.

But that didn't make him feel any less guilty. He'd had hardly any sleep the night before. What if he'd gone too far? What if it just had been too much for her? What if she hated him now? Yeah, it had felt completely brilliant being inside her, but he worried that he might have gone too fast.

Yeah, she sounded enthusiastic while they were doing stuff, but...what would she do now, now that it was...over? Would she take offense to what he'd called her? His face flushed as he remembered it. He ran a hand over her hair, watching the sleeping girl. She sighed, wrapping an arm around his middle, a small smile playing at her lips. He noted that the unicorns on her pajamas were all asleep too, little z's appearing above their heads.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I hope you don't hate me."

Luna sighed, and spoke sleepily. "I don't hate you Harry." She opened her eyes slowly, and their eyes met. "I hope you don't feel bad about last night."

Harry held her tighter against him, pressing his lips against her temple. "Do you?" He murmured.

"Of course not. I'm a bit sore, but other than that, I feel brilliant." She turned her head slightly, and kissed him gently. "Did you mean what you said last night?"

"Which part?" Harry asked cautiously.

She giggled. "Well, I meant everything that I said last night. I was just wondering if you meant it too."

He stared at her. "You...aren't offended?"

"Why would I be?" She kissed him again. "It makes me really happy...that you would want to do those things with me. And I really meant it. Even if you asked me to go down on you when we go to the muggle theatre, or if you fucked me over the desk in the study-"

He choked at both of those visualizations. "You're a very dirty girl." He murmured, squeezing her. She giggled.

"I'll be as dirty as you want me to be, Sir." She said playfully, silvery eyes glowing.

His heart jumped at the title. He, sat up, and so did she. She tilted her head, looking at him curiously.

"Sir?"

He stared at her, feeling a smile stretch on his face. "Nothing."

He reached for her, stroking her cheek. She giggled, and he kissed her again, fingers stroking her hair.

"Luna...are you okay with all this? For sure?" He asked seriously, his smile dropping a bit.

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yes. I'm quite sure. I told you, it makes me happy. It makes me feel good. Doesn't it make you feel good too?"

"Well, yes...but...I don't think this is normal." Harry said quietly, eyes dropping to the blankets.

"So?" She leant forward, and kissed his cheek. "Normality is overrated and boring." She said with a grin. "So, are you going to ravish me again?"

He couldn't help but laugh. He kissed her, and got up from the bed. He grunted as he felt a few muscle pangs. He could only imagine what Luna felt like. "Well, we have our lessons today. I reckon both of us are going to feel pretty sore today, so we should take it easy." He helped her out of the bed, the unicorns on her nightgown began to wake up.


End file.
